Total Drama Rebirth: Heroes vs Villains
by Woodenshy
Summary: Season 3 of the Total Drama Rebirth series begins! 14 of your favorite heroes and your most hated villains from the past two seasons return to compete for another million dollars! Think All-Stars...except it doesn't suck! Rated T for violence, sexual themes, language, and any miscellaneous things.
1. Heroes vs Villains

(AN: Time to start Season 3! Total Drama: Heroes vs. Villains is a-go! Reason the story title is different is because I found there was some fic already called Total Drama: Heroes vs. Villains, with a logo and everything! Uh, oops! Had to find a way to differentiate the two, you know? Anyways, the cast was chosen by you, but I have the final say in who stays and who goes! Let's get started!)

* * *

Chef walked down the prison cells with the warden, carrying a manila envelope.

"I'm innocent, I tell you! _Innocent!_ " one inmate called out from one of the cells, while another made kissy faces at the pair as they passed.

Chef growled at the latter, who immediately stopped what he was doing and disappeared quickly into the shadows.

"Sir, Mr. McLean, just as you wanted," the warden said, leading him to a cell that looked no different from any other.

What was inside, however, was very different indeed.

"Looks like Duncan's all set to win it!" Chris said, bouncing a peanut shell along the floor. He had taken the liberty of drawing a face on it, for companionship.

"Uh, Chris?" Chef said.

"Uh-oh! Duncan might lose this thing! I…wait a minute… _HE BLEW UP MY MANSION! …I MEAN COTTAGE! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOHOHOOOOOOOO!_ "

Chef and the warden exchanged worried glances.

"Duncan, bad! Bad boy! _Bad!_ You're totally going to jail for that one!" Chris said, tossing the peanut shell so hard at the wall, it shattered. "There! I hope you get what Justin did to Katie!"

" _Chris!_ " Chef's yell rang throughout the prison.

"Oh, hey, Chef! How've ya been?"

"Chris, I gotta come to ya straight. We've been greenlit for another season!"

Chris stood upright in a flash, jangling the bars. "Does that mean…?"

"You get to host the show again? Sure! Sure thing! I've spoken to the warden here, and…"

"Mr. McLean, we've decided to send you out on parole! Mr. Hatchet has the stipulations that you _must_ follow during your time out of prison.

"Furthermore, you're _only_ out because of your connections to Mr. Hatchet, as well as your…charisma."

"Oh, don't you know it!" Chris grinned, as Chef handed over the manila envelope to him.

"It's been a pleasure seeing you again, Mr. Hatchet," the warden said, shaking Chef's hand. "Please do your best to keep an eye on this…individual."

"Of course, sir!" Chef said, saluting the warden as he left.

Chris stretched, looking much more cheerful. "Hey, when's that season starting, Chef?"

"Oh, I'd give it 'bout a week, give or take…"

Chris grinned savagely. "Alright, I'm going to need a phone, gotta makes some calls before the season starts…hey, Chef, let's get this party started!"

Outside Chris's cell, a bugging device had picked up all of the prior conversation and had transmitted it into a certain superfan's earbuds.

Sierra's eyes narrowed, and she grinned at her smartphone camera. "Yes, Chris, _let's do this._ "

* * *

(AN: I'm only doing this once, to avoid redundancy at the beginning of the chapters!)

* _The Total Drama theme starts playing. Spotlights pop out of a mole hill (with a mole in tow), a knot in a tree (kicking out a squirrel) and out from the grass._

 _A clapperboard slaps down, signaling the cameras to pan across the newly remodeled Camp Wawanakwa, passing Chris, the robot, and the cabins. The camera pans up the hill and 'falls' into the water._

 _In the water, Sierra's struggling to open a wooden treasure chest. Eva kicks open the chest, releasing Cameron and Cody. Eva crosses her arms and rolls her eyes, releasing a small amount of bubbles from her mouth._

 _Gwen is chased by Fang in the background, with Ezekiel swimming furiously behind them. *_

"Na-na-na-na-na- _na_ , na- _na_ -na- _na_ -na, na-na-na-na-na- _naaaa!_ "

 _*The camera pulls out of the water, to reveal the remaining contestants on rafts, holding sticks. Half of them are red, half are gold. *_

"I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!"

 _*Zoey reluctantly clashes her gold stick with Duncan's red, followed by Jo smacking Brick hard with her red stick, causing him to fall in the water. Next, Dawn dodges out of the way of Justin's red stick, causing him to silently yell and fall in the water too. Heather and the robot high-five as they both succeed in shoving Anne Maria into the water, her red stick flying and twirling in the air. *_

"I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famoouuusssssssssssss!"

 _*The scene shifts to a view of the moon, before the camera pans down on the crackling fire. Duncan and Zoey share a look, before looking away quickly and uncomfortably. Sierra is behind them, snapping a photo with the smartphone._

 _The rest of the contestants whistle the ending part of the Total Drama theme, while the camera pans out to reveal the title for the season: 'Total Drama: Heroes vs. Villains'. *_

(AN: Sorry! It's based off of All-Stars, gotta use the shortened theme…eh, least it's a little more interesting to write…)

Episode 1: Heroes vs. Villains

* * *

Chris breathed in the fresh Wawanakwa air.

"Aaaah! Hello, all of you! Isn't it _great_ to be back on Camp Wawanakwa? I know I'm excited!"

A robot beeped up alongside him, waving its hand.

"Chef and this guy here… (Chris nodded at the robot) …spent the whole year cleaning _and_ detoxifying this place!

"Wanna know why? Well, Chef told me about a _great_ idea during my tenure in prison!

"We're going to bring back your favorite Season 1 contestants and square them off against the newbies! Yeah!"

Silence rang around the beachfront. The robot looked at Chris and beeped.

"No, I don't know who's returning! That's Chef's job!" Chris groaned, throwing his hands up in the air.

In the distance, Chris heard a loud whirring sound.

"Oop! Here they come now!" he said, shielding himself from the strong winds.

He pulled out a megaphone and waved to the twin-propeller helicopter, which was flying low.

"Here's Chef with the—oh, what? A contestant list? Thanks!" Chris said, as a portly, bespectacled intern handed him a sheet of paper.

"Okay, okay, all checks out…although I _do_ wonder why part of this is whited out…maybe Chef did this last minute!

"Okay, so, returning from Season 1, first up is our runner-up geek, Cody!"

Cody yelled loudly as Chef tossed him from the helicopter. " _I never want to go back in theeeeere!_ "

"Aww, don't care!" Chris chuckled. "Next, the lonely goth girl who eventually became _less_ lonely, Gwen!"

"No, thanks, Chef, I got this!" Gwen said, before taking a deep breath and jumping out.

" _Look out below!_ " she cried, before splashing into the water beside Cody.

" _Gwen!_ I'm comin' for ya, eh!"

"Gwen's boyfriend, the recently reformed sexist homeschool kid, Ezekiel!"

Ezekiel jumped out of the copter, holding on tightly to his toque to ensure that it wouldn't fall off.

"Next, we have Gwen's carrier-I mean, best buddy, Eva!"

Eva wordlessly dove out of the helicopter, creating a mighty splash below.

"Next up is the delinquent with a hidden soft side, screenhogger-I mean, Duncan!"

" _I heard that, Chriiiiiiiiiiiiii-iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis!_ " Duncan yelled, glaring and pointing at the host on the way down.

"Aww, he hasn't changed a bit!" Chris said, wiping a tear from his eye.

"The queen bee who swore revenge on all of us, _Heather!_ "

"Oh, believe _me_ , there will be hell to _PAAAAAAAAAAAY!_ " Heather screeched as Chef threw her hard from the helicopter.

"Lastly representing the Season 1 competitors…the one, the only, the dangerous… _Justin!_ "

Chris looked up at Chef, who shrugged.

"Guy's not on the plane, Chris!"

However, a loud _honk_ in the distance answered Chris's concerns.

 _The Big Kahuna_ , Justin's modeling agency, dropped their star model onto the beach, before puttering off on their fancy yacht.

Justin beamed at the camera, his flashy smile restored and his eyes twinkling.

Eva rolled her eyes, folding her arms. "Great, could've gone a season without _him_ holding me back…"

"Next up, our Season 2 competitors!" Chris said, ignoring Justin posing for the camera. "First, we have our master of sass, but she's a pain in our ass!

"Give it up for our runner-up, Anne Maria!"

Anne Maria screeched and clung on to Chef. " _No_ f-bleep!-in' way am _I_ goin' down there! I'll get soaked!"

"Oh, I _say_ you're gonna get into that water!" Chef said, detaching her from him and tossing her fiercely down into the water. "How d'ya like _that_ , cracka Anna?"

Gwen rolled her eyes as Anne Maria splashed down beside her, still screeching. "Oh, _great_ , someone with an attitude problem. Haven't seen the likes of _that_ before…"

"Oh, but I have!"

Cameron peered down from the helicopter, looking for Anne Maria.

"The bubble boy who couldn't! Get down here, Cameron!" Chris called out. "And make sure not to get injured before the first challenge! Boy, wouldn't that _suck?_ "

" _Don't remind meeeeeeeeee!_ " Cameron called out as Chef threw him out of the plane.

"Next, the super-hot gay…cadet…uhhhh… _ahem_ , Brick!" Chris said, doing a double-take at his sheet of paper.

"Greetings, everyone!" Brick called from above. "Here's to a good _tiiiii-iiiiiiiiiiiime!_ "

"Ha! Time to make room for me!" Jo called, before diving out of the plane herself.

"Well, _that_ saves us some time!" Chris chuckled. "Next, the beetle whisperer with clout…Dawn!"

"But, Chris, I don't think I've spoken to those be- _fooooooooooooooooooore!_ " Dawn said, before Chef kicked her out of the helicopter.

"Next up is…uh…wait, uh…" Chris read over the description for the next competitor several times before putting on his reading glasses.

"Next up is, uh…ah, jeez…"

" _Aren't you going to introduce me, cis scum?_ "

Chris sighed. "Next, we have 'the super nicest, greatest friend a girl could ever have.' Give it up for…'Super-Zoey.'"

Zoey nodded as Chef got ready to push her out of the helicopter.

"Thank you for asking permission before touching meeeeeeeee!" she called out, before hitting the water with a loud splash.

Duncan whistled. "Huh! Never thought I'd see one of _you_ around."

Zoey resurfaced. "One of _what_ , exactly?"

"Ah, nothing, nothing! … (he murmured the next word under his breath) weirdo."

"Last up is 'the best…the brightest? The greatest fan of the show the world has ever seen?! Introducing…Sier- ' _WHAT IS THIS?!_ "

Sierra squealed happily as she swan dove off of the helicopter.

" _I'm coming, Co-dyyyyyyyyyyyyy!_ "

"Please never say that again! _AAAAAAH!_ "

Cody swam swiftly into deeper water as Sierra splashed down heavily into it. The rest of the campers got drenched.

"Aah, Fashion alert! _Fashion alert!_ Code red! Code red!" Brick called, sprinting out of the water next.

Justin looked over at him. "Jeez, Brick, you're looking almost as fabulous as me…nice pin!"

Brick yelped slightly. "You can _talk?!_ "

* * *

 **Justin** : _The Big Kahuna_ was wonderful to me! My modeling's given them so many profits over the years…my lead stylist says that I'm the soul of the business! *he pulls out a mirror and looks at his reflection* Who's beautiful? It's _you_ , yes you are!

* * *

Sierra popped out of the water and ran swiftly up the slope.

Chris, however, cut her trip short. "Whoa, whoa, _whoa!_ " he said, pressing the palm of his hand against Sierra's forehead. " _Why_ did you think pranking me was a good idea, huh?"

Sierra was blissfully ignorant of what Chris just said. She had pulled out her smartphone and was snapping photos wildly. While doing this, she hit the 'record' button on her vlog app. "Ooh, 'Hello, everyone out there in blog world! This is Sierra, and I'm _finally_ taking my first steps onto the legendary Camp Wawanakwa! _Aaah!_ '"

Chef, however, had fallen over laughing. "You should see the look on your face, Chris!"

Chris glared at his partner. "You… _you were in on this the whole time?_ _ **How?! WHY!?**_ "

"'Cause, Chris, I needed to get my revenge on you from you f-bleep!-ing those mutated animals a year ago! C'mon!"

"Larry is _more_ than a 'mutated animal', thank you very much! She's a strong, independent woman-flytrap and she don't need no Chef!"

"Ha! _Yes!_ " Zoey called out.

* * *

 **Zoey** : Leave it to Chris to finally see what I've been trying to crusade for all these years! *she sighs happily* Girl power!

* * *

Anne Maria screamed as she splashed out of the water. "Get it offa me, _get it offa me!_ Ju- _stiiiiiiiiin! Baaaaaaaaaaaaaabe!_ Dry me off, _please?_ "

Justin peeked a look at her above the mirror, then went back to admiring his reformed body.

"Oh, _come on!_ "

* * *

 **Anne Maria** : Awright, so I was robbed! _ROBBED!_ Of tha million bucks last season! Worse yet, one of my n-bleep!- enemies is on tha show! F-bleep!- this season already!

* * *

Chris still held Sierra in place, unaware of the trench she was starting to dig with her feet.

"Alright, Sierra! Stay _right. Here._ The rest of you, follow me to this TV."

Cody gurgled as he stayed half-submerged in the water. _Can I not?_

Ezekiel, however, yelped as Gwen carried him out of the water, bridal-style. "No'o way, Gwen! Didn't kno'ow you got so'o tough, eh?"

Gwen chuckled. "Don't worry, Zeke. I'm gonna win it all this season!"

* * *

 **Gwen** : I made Zeke watch Season 1 over again with me, along with Season 2. He needs to know his competition, especially when any one of them can stab him in the back!

 **Ezekiel** : Feels good to be back here, eh? Ho'opefully Justin wo'on't screw me o'over again like he did last time, haha. But hey, with Gwen by my side, I can do'o _anything._

 **Gwen** : Watching through Season 1 again, I noticed that Eva _really_ carried me throughout the merge, until, well…you know. So, I decided to do some weight lifting! *she makes a muscle and smiles as she sees the slight contours* Look out world, Gwen's ready to kick some more butt!

 **Ezekiel** : So'o, what happened to me in the last year? Well…I went back home, had a good long talk with my mom and dad, and they're totally cool with me dating Gwen, eh? Like, hey, I was surprised, too! Besides that, I've been do'oing archery, hunting, farming…

 **Gwen** : …well, I'll win, if, uh, no fuzzy animals conspire with Ezekiel and vote me off or something. *she sighs* I _wish_ I were making that up.

 **Ezekiel** : …fishing, ice fishing, fishing and hunting, archery-fishing-and-hunting, icy-arrow-archery-fish-hook-hunting…

 **Gwen** : My main reason for coming back…besides Zeke…*she swoons slightly*…is to get my revenge on those damn animals! Boney Island, you're numero uno on _my_ priority list!

 **Ezekiel** : …hunting-hook-hands-psycho-killer-chainsaw…wait, what was I saying?

* * *

Chris looked around at the contestants. The robot beeped and turned the TV on.

"Okay, uh…" Chris said. "Where's Cody?"

"Here he is! _Wheeeeee!_ "

" _CHRIS! GET HER AWAY FROM MEEEEEE!_ "

Cody landed with a loud _thud_ , having been thrown discus-style by Sierra.

"Okay!" Chris said, clapping his hands. "I'm sure you're wondering about the teams and stuff, right? Well—"

"Oh-em-gee, Chris, I'm _sooo_ excited to be a part of the show! Whee!"

Chris yelped as Sierra seemed to warp in front of him. "Didn't I tell you to stay put?"

"Aww, but _Chris_ , I wanted to be near my Cody-Wody!"

Cody was highly resisting the urge to projectile vomit everywhere. Cameron just looked concerned.

* * *

 **Cameron** : I remember everything about Sierra from last year…well, everything except the sleep-holding. Mom got _really_ upset about that when she went over the Season 2 footage. Made me re-watch that season 5 times until I got all the 'dangers' of the show memorized. Also, she moved 5 miles closer to here, so now she can (he air-quotes) 'Keep a closer eye on me'. Joke's on her! I signed up for this show all without her knowing! _And_ without a single paper cut, too! Woo!

* * *

"Any _who_ ," Chris went on, ignoring Sierra panting like a dog next to him, "On the TV, you guys can see that Camp Wawanakwa went through _quite_ the makeover!"

Everyone whooped in joy, especially the Season 2 contestants.

"Unfortunately, we had to go through some changes…had to get rid of the mail service, for starters…"

Brick shrugged. "Meh."

* * *

 **Brick** : So, you're wondering what the deal is with my outfit and pin, right? Well, Sam, bless his heart, gave me half of his 20 grand. More than enough for a quick seminar at my dream fashion school. Breezed through the class, an outfit change later, and presto! *he shows off his half-buttoned light green, collared shirt, his skintight white tee underneath, his beige cargo shorts, and his fancy new boots* Ahh, feels good to be gay! Gangster! _Gangster!_ *he slaps his forehead* Ugh, stupid Topher! Your flamboyance rubbed off on me! …wait, _why_ did I say _gangster? AAAGH!_

 **Jo** : *she breathes in heavily* Aah, Camp Wawanakwa! Feels good to be back, huh? Hey, if Brick and I are on different teams, even better! Can't wait to squash _his_ head in when I steamroll our team to victory!

 **Brick** : Crap, how'd I forget my pin! *he pulls out and shows off his rainbow-colored flag to the camera* Gay pride, baby! And that _wasn't_ poor word choice!

* * *

"But anyways, enough about that!" Chris said, clapping his hands together. "Time for the thing you've been looking forward to the most: Team assignment!"

* * *

 **Eva** : Those weeks of therapy really paid off in the end. Honestly, I'm cool being on a team with or without Gwen. As long as I get to beat Justin to a pulp for what he did to Katie, I'm good!

* * *

"Chris, can Zoey be on the heroes team?" Sierra piped up, licking the drool that had cascaded down her chin.

" _No!_ How did you know that Heroes vs. Villains was going to be the theme of the…oh, right…"

"Aw, Chris, you've forgotten that you're talking to the _biggest_ Total Drama fan ever! Eee!"

Chris groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Alright! Gwen, Ezekiel, Cody, Dawn, Brick, Cameron, …"

" _And Zoey!_ "

"…you're on the Heroic Ham— _ **NO!**_ "

Sierra giggled as the robot lined the 7 of them up, with a golden symbol of a fuzzy hamster appearing above them.

* * *

 **Sierra** : Ohmygosh, this is the _confessional!_ *she hyperventilates, squealing throughout* Oooh, Chris is going to be _so_ mad at what I'm gonna do next!

 **Dawn** : *she gasps happily* A hamster! Aww, hamsters are so cute and fuzzy! Their auras are _so_ perky! They're some of nature's best little critters!

 **Zoey** : *she gags as she sees the logo fly in* A _hamster._ A damn… _hamster?!_ Are you mad, Chris! I don't need to be reminded of my pet at home! Damn white male producers and their patriarchal ideas and their…

 **Cody** : *he closes the confessional door and gags* Okay, was _Sierra_ in here? _Gross!_

* * *

"So, that leaves us with Eva, Duncan, Heather, Justin, Anne Maria, and Jo! You make…the Villainous Vul—"

" _They're missing a player, Chriiiiiiiis!_ "

"Can it, Sierra!"

"But, Chris, shouldn't they be at an even 7? Can I join? Ooh, _I'll join the Villainous Vulture—"_

Sierra's leap towards her team-to-be was interrupted by the robot grabbing her in the back with a suction cup arm.

"You know what, _fine!_ " Chris said, snapping his fingers. "You're right, they _are_ missing a player! Sierra, you're now the new intern! Get going to the mess hall; those floors need a _deep cleaning!_ Villainous Vultures, you guys get a robot buddy!"

The robot launched Sierra far, far, away, towards the mess hall. Sierra yelled happily all throughout her flight.

"Geez, interns!" Chris said, turning off the TV. "Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em!"

The robot wheeled up beside Heather and beeped.

She turned and glared at it. "What do _you_ want?"

* * *

 **Heather** : Oh, _God,_ if he's going to keep me up all night with that beeping, I might as well get myself booted out of the show! _Anyways,_ who missed me!? Anyone? _Anyone?_ Rrrgh! _I was Total Drama's original villainess!_ _ **I will not be ignored!**_

* * *

"So, let's get started with today's first challenge!" Chris said, walking the 14 contestants over to the base of the Wawanakwa hill.

"Let's call this challenge a friendly throwback to each season's initial challenges! However, I'm gonna be bringing some _twists_ into it! Hahahaha!"

Anne Maria flailed her arms in Justin's field of view. " _NOTICE ME, DAMMIT!_ "

"Aaaah…such _handsome_ hands…worthy of a god…or goddess…"

Anne Maria grinned. "Ugh, _finally!_ "

* * *

 **Anne Maria** : Okay, so I think my chances with Vito are down tha tubes! Justin, though, he's _so_ much hottuh than he was! Whoo- _wee!_ *she fans herself and bites her lip*

 **Justin** : Getting this bod back wasn't easy…or cheap…but thanks to the gals at home and a bunch of plastic surgery…I'm back, baby! *he kisses his forearm* Aah, beautiful hands, how I missed you so! *he looks back at the camera* Oh! Uh, unfortunately, my facial features weren't able to be saved in time…they said that the bones 'didn't set properly'. Ugh, least I can still get some sexy foot, hand, and maybe shoulder deals! I _should_ call my agent when I get back…

* * *

"Right, so for this challenge, 6 of you are going to run up to the top of that hill over there! First one there gets an advantage for the next steps!

"When you're up there, you'll be diving into the water, looking for keys! There's going to be several keys per team that'll open up those locks for your totem poles!

"Finally, _your whole team_ has to bring the totem to the spa hotel before time runs out! First full team back wins immunity and a night at the spa hotel! Fun, right?"

"Uh, Chris?" Gwen asked, folding her arms. "What about the 7th that won't make it to the top of the hill?"

"Glad you asked, Gwen! The 7th person's staying right here, finding a way to reach the lock up there!"

Gwen and the rest looked up; the totem poles swung on chains that seemed to stretch upward endlessly, making an easy approach from the top all but impossible.

"Alright, I'll give you 5 minutes to deliberate who's going to stay down here," Chris chuckled. "I'm going to check on our newest intern!"

Sierra's tears tracked all around the mess hall; her mop was soaking wet and glistening with salt.

" _Co-dyyyyyyyyyhyhyhyyyyyyyy!_ " she wailed, as she went around the perimeter for the third time in that half hour.

"Hey, Sierra, just wanted to see how your torture was going and-wha- _WHAAA-OOF!_ "

" _Chris!_ " Sierra screamed, dropping her mop and sprinting over towards him. "Ohmigosh! Let me help you! A-Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm _fine,_ " Chris said, wiping off his shirt. "I gotta see about our guest helper…and _you_ gotta see to this floor! If it's not cleaned by the time the challenge is over…you'll be on chef duty tonight!"

"Chef duty?! As in, actually working with Chef?! No way, Chris, _no. Way!_ I promise you, this floor will be the dirtiest floor you'll ever see! _AAAAH!_ "

Chris dug into his ear to ease the splitting pain. "Sure, fine…whatever…"

* * *

 **Chris** : So, looks like Sierra's doing her…strange…thing…in there! Anyways, how's everything out there, guest competitor?

 **B** : *he's in his swimsuit, putting on some sunscreen. He nods and gives a thumbs up*

* * *

Gwen surveyed the other competitors.

"Okay, you know what? I'll stay here and work on this totem pole."

"Uh, Gwen? Heheh, don't you think someone with a _little_ more mechanical expertise should…"

"Next time, Cody. Next time!"

* * *

 **Gwen** : So, my first goal on this new team is to establish a leader. That could be either Brick or me. *she furrows her brow in thought* Honestly, I wonder which would be a better choice?

* * *

"Uh, Gwen, permission to speak, ma'am! I think it would be best if—"

"Not now, Brick! I think the other teams decided!"

But not all of the Vultures were happy with the decision.

"Come _on!_ " Eva growled, shoving Anne Maria slowly along the beach. "I said I'd stay here, now _do your part!_ "

"Absolutely not!" Anne Maria snapped back at her. "I'm not gonna get my looks ruined, that's fuh sure!"

"…but Justin's gonna be up there, too!"

"Ooh! Is he really? _I'm comin', babe!_ "

Eva brushed off the front of her tracksuit. "Huh. That wasn't so bad!"

* * *

 **Eva** : I'm pretty sure 99% of the Vultures see me as a threat, as they should. I _think_ the other 1%'s Anne Maria's missing brain…

* * *

"Alright, team, move out! We've got keys to fetch!"

Brick led the other 5 contestants as they sprinted up the Wawanakwa hill.

Dawn looked a little on edge as they made their way towards the top.

* * *

 **Dawn** : Last time I was here, I was trying to free Mike…a thousand foot drop later, and everything after that's a little fuzzy! *she sighs* Least my auras and animal skills are still intact, right? *A small squirrel hops onto her lap* Oh! Hello!

* * *

Heather led the Vultures up the hill. "Alright, everyone, I'm _pretty_ sure none of you know me, so…I'm Heather, I was 4th voted out in Season 1, and…"

" _Hey! Up in front! Can it!_ "

Heather growled, looking back at whoever spoke out of turn. "Alright, _who_ said that?"

* * *

 **Heather** : If you couldn't tell, I'm just a _teensy_ bit annoyed at being first eliminated from the Gophers team! I spent 99% of my time at Playa des Losers throwing _lawn darts_ at their _stupid,_ _ **scrawny little heads!**_ ***** she angrily pulls out a photo of Izzy, although the center is a tattered hole* See? She looks _much_ better this way! Ha!

* * *

"Don't sell yourself too hard there, sister!" Duncan chuckled, overtaking Heather. "Last I remembered, you were voted out _3_ _rd_ _._ "

* * *

 **Duncan** : Hey, my team consists of the guy I hate the most; Heather, who I barely even know; Jo, whoever she is; the greatest threat I've ever met; Little Miss Loud-and-Annoying; and a robot. I gotta find some way to stick out from the rest!

* * *

"Ha! You got _burned!_ " Jo cackled, catching up with the other two.

She exchanged a high-five with Duncan.

" _Rrrrgh!_ Stop fraternizing with the enemy!" Heather yelled to Duncan.

"Alright, Heather, we're _all_ enemies here. We're freaking villains!"

* * *

 **Duncan** : I wonder if Chris was originally going to have me on the heroes team and Zoey on the villains…I mean, yeah, I did some pretty nasty stuff during my initial time on Season 1, but my return wasn't so bad…I mean, I made friends with Gwen, right?

* * *

"So, Gwen! Talk to me! What's new with you?"

Gwen yelped slightly as she heard Eva's voice. "Oh! Okay, uh…"

"What? Weren't expecting to see me down here?"

"Not…really. I mean, you're easily the most dominating force on the villains team, so I expected you'd be up there…and, uh…not down here…"

Eva gave Gwen a sympathetic look as the latter's voice trailed off. "C'mon! Look on the bright side, I can't carry you through the game until either of us makes the merge!"

Gwen playfully punched Eva's shoulder. "Ha, ha. Very funny."

* * *

 **Gwen** : You know, Eva's _really_ mellowed out since she got back here! Most violent she got was with Anne Maria, and, hey, given what she was like in Season 2, _anyone_ would act that way towards her!

 **Eva** : Honestly, Gwen's the closest thing I have to a true ally here! Still _kinda_ peeved at Katie manipulating Trent and Cody all those years ago, but, honestly, that stuff just holds me back. Focus on the present and a good future, my therapist said! Let's go! I'm in this to win this!

* * *

Zoey glared back at the Villains team, which at this point consisted of Anne Maria and Justin.

"Cis rapist scum…" she muttered to herself.

* * *

 **Zoey** : Yeah, Justin's a piece of shit, even _if_ he's hot! I don't care which spoiled, white person he goes and rapes, _no one_ deserves that! Okay! See, Mom, Bumbler _did_ teach me some good things!

* * *

"Zoey, come on! We're falling behind!"

Zoey looked forwards. Cameron was gasping and panting up the hill, his head drenched with sweat.

"Oh, jeez, uh… _uhhhhhh…_ "

* * *

 **Zoey** : Cameron's got the advantage of being a PoC, but at the same time, he's easily the weakest out of all of us. I mean, Cody got runner-up, Gwen got 6th place…f-bleep!-ing animals backstabbed her…and Eva and Duncan are no slouches either! _Aaagh!_ They're cis white scum! Cis white scum! Don't admire them!

* * *

Cameron looked back. Anne Maria had stopped and was looking at Justin, who was fanning himself with his mirror.

"Ah, sweat, nature's greatest enemy," he murmured, ignoring the person crushing on him a few feet away.

"Alright, that's it! Anne Maria, Justin, come on! You two gotta get back to your team!"

Cameron sprinted downwards and started to push Anne Maria up the hill. Well, he tried to; the heavily tanned semi-finalist was rooted to the ground by the sheer weight of her makeup and hairspray.

Zoey looked back. "Oh, come _on_ , Cam…"

* * *

 **Zoey** : Huh! I gave Cameron a nickname…am I actually feeling… _bad…_ for causing that injury?

* * *

Zoey sighed as she walked back down to see Cameron straining to move Anne Maria.

"How long will this take?" she sighed, rolling her eyes.

Justin looked at the pair. "Oh, I'd say about 3, 4 hours tops…"

Anne Maria's feet were dragged forward a half inch, creating a short trench in their wake.

"Nnnnngh… _I made progress! Yes!_ " Cameron groaned, before he collapsed to the ground, panting and wheezing.

Meanwhile, in between the frontrunners and the last-placers, the robot slowly wheeled up the hill, beeping all the while.

* * *

 **Robot** : *it beeps*

* * *

"Welcome, runts!" Chef said, as Duncan, Jo, Heather, Brick, Cody, Ezekiel, and Dawn made it up to the top. "I'm here to give you a few more details on that cliff-divin' challenge!"

Dawn gasped and pushed her sweaty hair locks aside.

* * *

 **Dawn** : Yeah…just…as tiring…*gasp* as the…last time…*a deer comes in and nuzzles her chin* Awww, thank you!

* * *

"Wait, no I can't! Not all of ya's up here yet!" Chef yelled at the contestants.

Ezekiel noticed that Chef was leaning on a sign. "Huh! 'Welcome co'ontestants…' this is a sign saying that whichever team o'of 6 got up here first, gets a changing room and goggles to see under the water, eh?"

"Good! Thankfully you're not going to need it! Sexist pig!"

Ezekiel screamed as Zoey shoved him hard off the clifftop.

" _AAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!_ "

Zoey glared at the other 4; Cameron draped over her shoulder, groaning. "What?"

Chef picked up a walkie-talkie. "Alright, Gwen, your boyfriend's goin' to get a key! Eva, you're still missin' 3 people up here!"

From down below, Gwen and Eva heard the nearby loudspeakers squawk the message.

"Woo! Go Zeke!" Gwen cheered.

Eva just groaned through her teeth and facepalmed.

* * *

 **Eva** : _Aaaagh!_ That stupid f-bleep!-ing Anne Maria's behind this, no doubt! The other two? I dunno, Heather and Duncan? The latter's really the only one I know, and he's next to _useless!_

* * *

Heather, Duncan and Jo tore back down the Wawanakwa hill, searching for their lost teammates.

" _Wait! Only one of you really needs to go back dowwwww_ oh, whatever," Chef called out halfheartedly, rolling his eyes.

"Anyways, Heroic Hamster Hueys!"

"Guess again!" Zoey said, dropping Cameron roughly from her shoulder. He fell on the ground with a loud _thump_ and an "ow!"

"Didn't need to hear your yap, kid! Anyways, I figured I'd letcha know what's what down there…"

Cody peered out, looking down nervously. "Uh, Chef? Aren't those…s-sharks?"

"Yup! And our Season 2 winner, B!"

Cody gasped. The rest of the Hamsters popped their heads out to see that, indeed, B was jumping up and out of the water like a salmon.

"He's here to either help or hinder your team!" Chef said proudly. "I came up with that idea…

" _WithsomehelpfromSierra…_ " he muttered quickly.

"Anyways, B's doin' whatever crazy crap a B does! He might make your key search easier…or he'll probably fudge it all up to hell! Ha- _ha!_ "

Ezekiel splashed into the water, looking around for anything shiny on the lake bottom.

 _C'mon, c'mon, Gwen's relying on me, eh!_

He didn't notice a large shadowy figure on top of him, until…

"Ooh, looks like Zeke's gettin' mauled down there!" Chef cackled.

Cameron cringed, as did Cody, Dawn, and Brick. Zoey just scoffed.

"Good! He deserves it!"

Everyone else glared over at her.

"What? You'd do the same!"

* * *

 **Brick** : No, I wouldn't!

 **Dawn** : Zoey's aura's just as screwy as ever, I see…*she sighs*

 **Cody** : Honestly, I'm more annoyed at B down there! I mean, he's _literally_ me, and he _won_ his season! Where's my respect, huh? Who brought _me_ back over him? _Huh?_ Was that you, Sierra? _Was it?_

* * *

"Hang on, Ezekiel, I'm coming to save you!"

"No, you won't!" Chef said, grabbing Brick by the scruff of his shirt. "He's gotta get a key and see if it works first!"

* * *

 **Cody** : In hindsight, I should've negotiated more with Gwen down there. *he sighs* If she doesn't come up with a plan, we're hosed!

* * *

Down on the beachfront, Gwen was angrily pacing below the totem pole.

"C'mon, Zeke, you can do it! Win for us, so I can get to Boney Island and search for those damn animals!"

"You saying something, Gwen?"

Gwen yelped as Eva's voice came from above her. "Oh! Uh, yes? No? Maybe? I…I guess?"

"Don't feel too bad, Gwen! If you guys lose, I can convince everyone else to not vote you off!"

"Oh, _thanks_ , Eva, that's _really_ reassuring."

Eva hopped down from her stack of boxes. "One more to go!"

"Okay, Eva, _where_ did you find those?"

"Nearby Chris and Chef's quarters! C'mon!"

* * *

 **Eva** : I'm all for helping Gwen out, but my team's coming first, no matter what! Can't let others distract me! Although…

* * *

"Hey, Gwen!" Eva huffed as the two raced over towards Chris and Chef's cabin.

"Yeah?" Gwen replied, matching her stride for stride.

"Want to form an alliance? You know, after the teams merge? You, me, and Zeke?"

"Sure thing!" Gwen chuckled. "Gen 1 alliance for the win! Woo!"

Eva quirked an eyebrow at her. "Okay, _please_ don't ever do that again…"

* * *

Ezekiel let out a shower of bubbles as he swam vigorously away from the pack of sharks.

 _Oh God, eh, I'm not go'onna die here!_

He looked up at the water's surface, then back down. Something glittered in the sand.

 _A-ha!_

He swam quickly to pick up his item and then resurfaced.

"Hey, guys, I got so'omethin', eh!"

Dawn, Brick, and Cameron cheered, while Zoey rolled her eyes angrily.

Ezekiel swam to the shoreline, swiftly dodging a rogue shark.

"Gwen! I'm comin' fo'or ya, eh! Wait, huh? Gwen? _Gwen?!_ "

Ezekiel screeched to a halt in front of the totem poles. He noticed the boxes next to the pole marked with the Villainous Vultures' logo.

"Oh, _come on!_ "

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : Kinda expected Gwen to be a little mo'ore quick, eh? At this rate, we're go'onna fall _way_ behind!

* * *

The 3 Villainous Vultures sprinted past the robot, who was still leisurely rolling up the hill and beeping.

"C'mon!" Jo snapped to Heather and Duncan, "the two of them could be anywhere by now!"

The robot stopped rolling and turned its head around 180 degrees. It beeped, rotated its head back to its starting position, and rolled onwards.

Jo squinted and looked ahead.

" _You gotta be kidding me! We're nearly at the bottom now?!_ C'mon, guys, let's push forwards!"

Heather gritted her teeth. "Yeah, uh…what she said!"

* * *

 **Heather** : I won't let Jo outshine _me! I'm_ the leader this team needs! The Gophers only booted me because they were too "goody-goody" for their own good! Honestly, the only one I can _really_ rely on is Justin, and as far as I know, he's pretty much just sitting there looking pretty!

* * *

"C'mon, Justin!" Heather growled, pushing against the male model, who refused to move. "Aaaagh! Why are you so unnaturally bulky! It's not a weightlifting competition!"

* * *

 **Justin** : After my stint as a feral beast, I was amazed at my killer upper body strength! I wanted to keep it under any circumstances in case anything weird happened to my lower half! I mean, my chapstick kisses aren't working on anyone anymore…and for the life of me, I don't know _why!_

* * *

"You've gotta give me a _really_ good reason to make me do this challenge and risk losing this silky-smooth complexion," Justin said, leering at Duncan as well as ignoring Heather grunting to his side.

"Well, it's either that or you're taking the Boat of Losers home," the delinquent replied. "As odd as this sounds, I'd take _Zoey_ on this team over the two of you!"

* * *

 **Duncan** : Yeah, I said it! Zoey's nuts, but at least she's trying! Besides, I could teach her a thing about how _real-world_ people act. *he punches his open hand*

* * *

Ezekiel strained as he slowly pushed Eva's boxes towards his own totem.

"If…you're…not…gonna…do'o…it…Gwen…then…I…might…as well! Nyaaaagh!"

With one last, mighty push, Ezekiel had moved the three boxes over to the Heroic Hamsters' totem.

Zeke grunted as he slowly climbed up. _Eva's really stro'ong still eh?_

"Oh, _come on, Ezekiel!_ "

A loud _slam_ came from in front of the homeschooled kid. He yelped, scurrying up to the last box.

He winced as he saw Eva fuming, her boxes creating an impact mark in the sand. Gwen saw him from behind her own boxes and gasped.

" _Zeke!_ Oh, my God! Are you okay? You're really bruised and cut up!"

"No'o need to worry, Gwen! Just give me one mo'ore box and I'm go'olden!"

"Oh, the only thing that's golden will be your _losing streak!_ Take this, cheater!"

Ezekiel screamed as Eva shoved the boxes out from under him, leaving him with nothing to stand on. He ran forward, which didn't do anything for him at all.

Gwen dropped her boxes and sprinted towards her boyfriend as he fell.

" _Gotcha!_ " she shouted, as she slid and caught Ezekiel like one would slide and catch a baseball.

"Woo! Thanks, Gwen!" Ezekiel said, wiping his forehead in relief.

"Why'd you do that, Eva?" Gwen snapped at the jockette.

"Sorry! Winning comes first!" she said. "Alliance after the merge!"

* * *

 **Eva** : I still meant what I said with Gwen and Zeke, but while we're on two opposing teams? Nu-uh. I gotta focus on taking the weak links out on mine… _Anne Maria…_

* * *

Anne Maria was refusing to budge.

"Oh, _come on!_ You weren't nearly this uncooperative last season!" Jo cried out, giving up on pushing her teammate.

"Speak for yourself!" Duncan called back to her. "This guy's barely going anywhere!"

Justin still grinned at himself in the mirror. "Looking good, gorge…oh, what do we have here?"

He turned his mirror to notice Duncan and Heather struggling to push him.

"Ladies, _ladies,_ please! Relax! I'll be up there in no time!"

Duncan stood there for a moment.

" _Hey!_ "

* * *

 **Duncan** : I'm _not_ a lady, Justin, alright? I'm more than your sorry ass will _ever_ be!

 **Justin** : Manager says that I'm not allowed to look around too much with my neck anymore…that's one of the major modeling areas. Or, so he says.

* * *

Justin stood up and ran towards the top.

"Ugh, _finally!_ " Jo groaned, as Anne Maria squealed along after him.

* * *

 **Jo** : I dunno who's worse: Anne Maria, or the lover boy she's wasting her time with!

* * *

Gwen stacked her two boxes in front of the totem pole. "Alright, uh…damn, I need to go get more, Zeke!"

Ezekiel leaned against the bottom box, nodding at her. "Go'o ahead, eh? I'm not doin' much of anything right no'ow."

Eva sat on the top of her four boxes, tapping the top one impatiently. "Ughhhhh…"

"Looks like the rest of the Vultures have arrived!" Chef called out through the microphone. "Although, the Hamsters are enjoying their advantage right now!"

Brick, Dawn, Cody, Cameron, and Zoey had changed into their swimwear and were wearing goggles. All 5 of them were looking glum.

"Alright," Duncan panted as the 5 other Villains reached the top. "Who's going f—"

" _AWRIGHT, BABE! I BELIEVE IN YOOOOOOOOOOOOU!_ "

Anne Maria shoved Justin forcefully off of the Wawanakwa hill. He yelled loudly as he fell down, down, down…

 _BANG._

'Ooh, looks like pretty-boy Justin's hit one of B's drones!" Chef chuckled through his walkie-talkie

On the beach, Eva slapped her forehead hard.

In the woods, Gwen and Ezekiel winced.

However, in one contestant's mind, one word was swimming through the mostly empty space.

 _B…B…B…B-B…B-B-B…BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB…_

" _I'M GONNA KILL THAT STUPID N-bleep!-!_ " Anne Maria shrieked, making for the cliff.

"Oh, no ya don't!" Chef called, grabbing her by the back of her tube top.

" _GET OFFA ME, N-bleep!- 2.0! I WON'T STAND FUH THIS CRAP!_ "

* * *

 **Jo** : Oh, Anne Maria…love it when your accent gets more pronounced the angrier you get! …okay, no I really don't, but you know what I mean!

* * *

Justin sank down perfectly under the water. He could barely make out some sharks swimming fiercely towards him, along with one being slightly human-shaped…

The model struck a sexy pose under the water, contemplating removing his shirt. However, he didn't need to; all 3 sharks stopped in front of him, hearts in their eyes.

Justin pointed down on the seafloor, grinning at them. The sharks swarmed around, searching for as many keys as they could find.

What Justin didn't notice, however, was the one other human-shaped object swimming rapidly towards him.

Justin was flung out of the water by B's speedy tackle. The latter splashed up onto the beach, tapping his rocket shoes together.

The former feral beast gasped as he saw the Season 2 winner hovering in the air. " _YOU!_ "

B pointed to himself and grinned smugly.

"Give me those keys back!"

Justin didn't have to do anything. The 3 sharks surfaced, the first two spitting keys towards their new beau. The third one, however, launched himself off of the first two's backs and somersaulted right into B's back.

B slammed hard into the ground, with his assailant punching every square inch of him as he could. Justin noticed two tattoos on the shark's biceps…

"And pretty boy's off!" Chef shouted, as Justin made his way towards Eva with the keys. "I think the Villainous Vultures could possibly win this!"

"What's this?" Chris asked, strutting to the totem poles. "Villains? _Winning?_ Aw, heroes, don't feel bad! Being evil just feels _pretty darn good!_ "

Justin threw a multitude of keys up at Eva. "Here you go!"

" _Hey!_ " Chris called. "Only _one_ key at a time!"

"Aww, but Chris!" Justin chuckled, "you never said that in the rules!"

"Yes I…okay, wait, uh…no, no, you're right! I never did! Aww, where's my trusty megaphone?"

Chris turned around and started to search for his trusty device. Justin turned towards the Wawanakwa hill and grinned.

"See that? Justin hasn't lost his ed- _OWWWWWWWWW!_ "

Eva had jumped up with a fistful of keys in hand. However, due to the lopsided arrangement of the boxes (not helped by Ezekiel disturbing their balance), one fell off and pegged Justin square in the back of the head.

Justin rubbed the back of his throbbing head and scuttled backwards to where he could see the boxes.

"Oh, I'm on to you, boxes! You think you can just magically tarnish my beauty like that and—"

 _Click._

" _GOT IT!_ "

 _CRUNCH._

Justin's scream spread all throughout the island. It reverberated in the forest, causing several animals to scamper; it reverberated to the Wawanakwa hill, causing everyone (save the robot) to cover their ears; it caused Fang and company to splash into the water, swimming away for cover.

Gwen was hurrying back with two more boxes when she heard the scream. "Ugh! Justin probably got a gash or something…"

However, what Justin had received was far worse than any gash. Eva was standing triumphantly on top of the totem pole, fistpumping her victory.

The totem pole, on the other hand, sat right on top of Justin's lower half of his body.

"Ooh!" Chris said, wincing. "Looks like Justin's gotta go to the infirmary! Yeah, we brought _that_ back, too!

"Sierra! _SIERRA! Get your crazy butt out here!_ "

Sierra exited the mess hall, panting and wheezing. "Co…ming…"

She didn't get that far; she collapsed as soon as she got on the top step.

* * *

 **Sierra** : Who knew being an intern would be so much work? Is it worth it? Uhh… _yeah!_ *she pulls out her smartphone and starts repeatedly snapping photos* Time for me to upload these to my blog! Eee! *she starts rapidly tapping buttons, grinning manically. The grin soon disappears* Only one bar of service? Oh, _come on!_

* * *

"Well, guess we gotta wait for Sierra to get her lazy butt over here! Ooh, looks like she's gotta be quick; the timer starts _right_ when Eva opened the lock! You have 3 minutes, 20 seconds, Sierra!"

Eva facepalmed.

* * *

 **Eva** : _Stupid Justin! AAAAGH!_ On the bright side, more injury for him means more satisfaction for me. On the _flip_ side…I cost us the challenge indirectly! Oh, God…

* * *

Eva slammed down to the ground from the third box. "Alright, it's movin' time!"

She put her arms around the huge totem and started straining to lift it.

"Uh, Eva, that thing weighs nearly 500 pounds!" Chris said, as the timer _beep_ ed in the background. "Wait, what _are_ you doing!? Stop it!"

Eva, straining with all her might, slowly lifted the large, heavy totem pole off the ground. She grunted, sweating, as she took two heavy steps forward, then two more.

Chris just stared at her, mouth wide open. "Uhhhhhh…"

From the top of Wawanakwa's hill, Chef looked up from his binoculars. "Alright, jock chick's gonna give herself a hernia at this rate! Look how heavy that thing is!"

"But I'm right here!" Jo groaned.

Everyone glared at her.

"What?"

* * *

 **Jo** : Oh, come on, humor makes _everything_ better…right?

 **Heather** : Sorry, Jo, but I think you need to move over. This diva's coming for you first!

* * *

"Uhh, villains, might wanna hurry down there!" Chef said, to which Duncan, Jo, and Heather sprinted down, while the robot leisurely rolled behind.

Anne Maria, however, had reached the bottom of the hill.

" _JU-STIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN! BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABE!_ "

"Oh, God, make today _worse_ , why don't you…" Justin muttered to himself.

* * *

 **Justin** : Try to help the team, get your legs…and groin…completely wrecked! *he looks down at his bandages* Well, that's what you get when you're on a team with all villains! I…

 **Eva** : …don't trust…

 **Duncan** : …anyone…

 **Anne Maria** : …on…

 **Jo** : …this…

 **Robot** : _…beep beep!_...

 **Heather** : …team!

*All the confessional panels come next to each other in a V formation, much like a flock of geese. The contestants start laughing manically, with a fiery background surrounding all of them*

 **Chris** : Okay, who edited that? Haven't you heard of _anything_ called subtlety?

* * *

1 minute, 15 seconds was all that was left on Eva's totem pole. The jockette shook with each unsteady step as she walked closer and closer to the beach.

"C'mon, Gwen!" Ezekiel called, key still in hand. "We've got no'othing to lo'ose now, eh!"

Gwen slammed the other two boxes down on top of the pre-existing two. "Go for it, Zeke!"

Ezekiel clambered up the boxes quickly, turning the key. "No'othing yet, eh! Dang!"

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : Awww, come on! We're so'o close to a win, but the dang key wo'ouldn't fit! All up to the rest of yo'ou guys now!

* * *

Ezekiel hurried up the Wawanakwa hill, while Gwen ran for cover.

* * *

 **Gwen** : Okay, no way am I going to be around when that totem pole explodes. I'm pretty sure Eva can handle it…right?

* * *

30 seconds remained.

Eva collapsed right on the waterfront, slamming the totem pole down hard in the process.

Sierra had finally arrived with a wheelbarrow. "Alright, where…where is he, Chris?"

"Over there!" Chris called from behind the confessional.

Eva looked over at B, who was cut and bruised badly. "Hey, kid, can you still move?" she asked, running over to him.

B twitched slightly, but that was all.

"Alright, I'm taking these!" Eva yanked off B's boots and hurried back to the totem pole.

20 seconds remained.

With a mighty roar, Eva slammed the totem pole down on its side, creating a loud _BANG_ and a small amount of ground shaking.

Justin groaned as Sierra half-put, half-threw him into the wheelbarrow. "Aagh! Watch the face!"

"Ooh, that's not the _only_ thing I'd watch, there…" Sierra murmured, before weakly wheeling Justin to the infirmary.

Eva strapped B's boots around the bomb strap, so that the former wouldn't be able to move easily. She growled loudly as she slapped the heels together several times.

" _Whoa!_ "

A burst of rocket fuel shot out of the boots, propelling the totem pole slightly forwards.

5 seconds remained. The totem moved further out to sea.

4 seconds.

3.

2.

The rocket burst ended and the totem sank quickly to the bottom.

 _BLOOSH._

The water around the totem pole's area erupted upwards in the shape of a mushroom cloud.

Eva weakly pumped her fist, then collapsed.

* * *

 **Eva** : Score one victory for me! I think that makes up for costing my team the challenge…

* * *

Anne Maria hurried along behind Sierra, bawling. The rest of the Villainous Vultures (sans the robot) arrived at the bottom of the hill, noticing that some things didn't seem quite right.

"Oh, man!" Duncan groaned, slamming the ground with his fist. "We lost!"

"Well, you might not if the Heroic Hamsters have something to say about it!" Chris said, pointing at Cody, who was diving down into the water.

Up on the hill, Zoey had resumed her tirade.

"Drones? _DRONES?_ B, those cause oppressed third-world countries a great deal of damage and destruction! _Everyone_ knows that!"

"That's not _all_ they're for…" Brick muttered under his breath.

Dawn sighed. "Can we think about something more positive, _please?_ Oh, I have one! Brick, how did your parents react when they found out you came out of the closet?"

Brick chuckled and looked at his pin again. "Honestly, a _lot_ better than I expected! Mom got all apologetic at points, said 'she never knew'…honestly, you'd think she'd pick up after I talked about Raymond all that time…"

Cameron looked at Brick as his voice trailed off. "You alright?"

Brick wiped a tear from his eye. "Yeah, I'm pretty good. My sister laughed and playfully punched me in the shoulder, and said no more about it. Dad, heh, he didn't say anything, but I'm pretty sure he approved."

Dawn smiled and placed a hand on Brick's shorts. "You were very brave, doing what you did…"

"I wouldn't go _that_ far, Dawn. I just had to…let it out, you know?"

* * *

 **Brick** : *he repeatedly slaps his forehead* _Ggggh!_ DAMMIT, Topher! I don't need to know about what guy you screwed last week while doing your Chris shtick! On the bright side, dude really knew his designs…

* * *

Cody splashed into the empty water, seeing what he could find through his goggles.

 _Alright, it's go time!_

Cody burst out a cloud of bubbles as he saw some underwater mines sparsely laid out around him.

 _I'm honestly surprised Zeke didn't run into any of these…huh!_

He saw a key, glittering in the sand, the exact shape of his head.

 _Come to Papa!_

Cody splashed up from the water happily, sloshing over towards the beachfront.

"And _that's_ for copying my thing, schmuck!" he yelled at the twitching B, making sure to stomp on his hand and spit in one of his wounds.

Gwen, looking at him, cringed.

* * *

 **Gwen** : Alright, Cody, do you _seriously_ have that big a grudge for getting second while B got first? C'mon, you're _way_ more mature than that…well, I mean, you _were_ the one who was trying to get with every lady on the island at one point, so, uh…*she sighs*

 **Cody** : I'll never forgive B! _Ever!_

* * *

"Oh, yeah, Zeke, you have a 20-second penalty for trying out that key! Only Gwen's allowed to do that!"

Ezekiel groaned. "Aw, c'mon, Chris!"

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : Ya know, with all the times I've screwed up to'oday, might as well say goodbye to everyone next episode…o'or the one after that…o'or…ya know! I'm an easy target!

* * *

Cody threw his special key at Gwen, who shimmied up the boxes.

"Huh!" she said, as she heard the _click_ of the totem pole being freed.

" _AND GWEN'S TAKEN THE LEAD FOR THE HEROIC HAMSTERS! GET DOWN HERE, ALL OF YOU! YOU'VE GOT 3 MINUTES 30 SECONDS TO GET THIS BABY TO THE SPA HOTEL!"_

Gwen, Ezekiel and Cody exchanged a high five. At the base of the mountain, Duncan, Jo, and Heather groaned.

Eva just panted, lying face down on the ground.

Dawn, Zoey, Brick, and Cameron sprinted down the hill as fast as they could; the latter being perched on Zoey's shoulder once more.

"You know," she snapped to the bubble boy, "you could _probably_ help out more next challenge…"

"Not my fault!" Cameron snapped at her. "Besides, at least I didn't get injured and sent home already!"

"Want to change that?"

Cameron facepalmed. "Oh, come on! Me and my big mouth!"

* * *

 **Cameron** : Note to self: Don't get on the wrong side of Zoey. Ev- _er._

* * *

The 4 Hamsters quickly made it down the hill, meeting the rest of their team. With a mighty heave, the 7 competitors lifted the totem pole over their heads.

"And they're off!" Chris shouted, as the Heroic Hamsters sprinted over towards the spa hotel.

Cameron wasn't tall enough to fully reach the ground, but he held on, dangling in between Zoey and Brick.

With one last effort, the 7 contestants slammed the totem pole hard on the platform in front of the spa hotel. With one last _beep_ , the timer started to blink, not changing from 1 minute, 37 seconds.

" _THE HEROIC HAMSTERS WIN THE FIRST CHALLENGE!_ " Chris called out through the megaphone. " _VILLAINOUS VULTURES, BE SURE TO MEET ME FOR THE FIRST ELIMINATION OF THE SEASON! IT'LL BE GREAT!_ "

Heather screamed loudly. " _This team is full of failures! AAAAGH!_ "

"Speak for yourself, you _barely_ did anything to help today!" Jo snapped at her.

* * *

 **Jo** : This team has weak links, even though we're all villains. Eva, Duncan and Heather? Those guys can be my ticket to victory…heheh!

 **Heather** : Alright, something is _very_ clear here! This team has extremely poor leadership! I guess it's up to me to save things again, as per usual! Ugh! *she pulls out the perforated picture of Izzy and starts eating it* _Feed on it! FEED ON IT!_

* * *

" _Psst, hey!_ " A hand reached around the loser cabins to grab Zoey.

"AAH! What do you want you disgusting, slimy, cis whi…oh, it's you…what is it, _Duncan?_ "

Duncan looked around. "Alright, uh, listen, in case I get the boot tonight…I wanted to apologize for, uh, earlier…you know, calling you a weirdo and all that…"

Zoey quirked an eyebrow. "Alright, is that _really_ all you have to say? Because, if it is, then I suggest you take your patriarchal, gender-binary supportive ideas and shove them straight up your— "

"And, uh, if things went differently than they would have…I would be happy to have you with us on the villains' team…"

Zoey now had a complete expression of shock on her face. "Okay, who drank the red Cool-Kids?"

"No, I'm being serious! You add an, uh…edge…to whatever team you're on, you know? Honestly, the only thing I'd change is your tendency to spout your opinions all over the pl—"

"Are you silencing _me?_ You're silencing the champion of LGBT, pro-African-Canadian, pro-genderfluidity, pro-feminism? How _dare_ you, you…you…cishet, white, patriarchal, juvie _TRASH!_ "

Zoey angrily turned and flounced away. Duncan just stood there, stammering to form words.

* * *

 **Duncan** : Okay, that did _not_ go over well…

* * *

The robot rolled up past Duncan. It turned its head 90 degrees to look at him, and gave a single solitary _beep._

Duncan turned quickly around, but then his fear changed to confusion.

"Wait, did you _just_ arrive here?"

" _Beep._ "

* * *

"Uh, Justin, don't you think you need a wheelchair?"

"Sierra, I appreciate the concern, but I don't _need_ the wheelchair…"

A faint _slap_ sounded through the infirmary flap, followed by Sierra and Anne Maria's gasps.

"Ohmigawd, you're as good as new again!" Anne Maria gasped happily.

A series of faint slaps sounded before Justin got out of the infirmary, legs bandaged up. However, he was now using his strong hands and upper body in place of his legs; he was walking upside-down.

Anne Maria bit her lip beside him. "Aw, yeah, babe, who's a good one?"

Justin ignored her and hand-walked over to the rest of the Villains.

Everyone present gave him the strangest look.

* * *

 **Jo** : Okay, all bets are off on this team! All I need now are some nicknames for these guys. Hmm, I can start with Old Eva, that's not a bad way to describe Miss Tan and Violent. Then, we've got Me 0.5, that's good for the _current_ Eva, haha…we got, uh…oh yeah, we got Mr. Roboto! That's pretty solid! Then we have Anti-Me, uh…Stuncan…gah, need to work on that one…and finally…Just-a-handwalker? Oh, come on, brain! You can do _way_ better than that! Hey, if it were Alejandro, I'd have a way better zinger, easy! Oh well, you win some, you lose some!

 **Eva** : *she's outside the confessional cam, loosening the back wall for the toilet and the outhouse itself. She then starts pulling some floorboards on the sides of the walls until the nails are clearly visible. She lastly opens the confessional door* Ssssh! *she loosens the confessional door hinges*

 **Eva, in the distance** : Hey, Justin, I'm pretty sure you want to vent your feelings on your destroyed legs and such, right?

 **Justin, in the distance** : Oh, boy, would I ever!

*Justin opens the confessional door and slams it shut*

 **Justin** : Okay, so I- _AAAAH!_ *he sits down on the weakened toilet, but falls straight back, collapsing through the weakened outhouse wall. His arms flail around, scratching the nails, before he falls out of the outhouse. The outhouse then tips over, splattering its sludgy contents all over Justin's body* AAAH! I'm contaminated! Not the faaa-blblblblblblblblblblblblblblblbl!

*The outhouse door falls off its hinges and smacks Justin square in the eye* OWWWWW!

 **Chef** : *he's surveying the wreckage* OH, COME ON!

 **Anne Maria, in the distance** : He- _llo!_ Need ventin' time!

 **Chef** : _It'll be fixed in a few minutes!_

 **Anne Maria, shortly afterwards, sitting in a crudely repaired confessional** : Awright, so with Justin bein' the way that he is, I can basically get a good look at his cock 24/7! Aw yeah! Best season evuh!

* * *

Chris stood in front of the 7 Villainous Vultures at the usual campfire ceremony. However, some things had changed; he was holding a stack of large photo paper, and B was holding on to the marshmallow plate.

The big winner of Season 2 looked battered and bruised. He was squinting out of one black eye and his left arm was in a sling.

"Hello, Villainous Vultures!" Chris said. "You know why you're here! You lost!

" _Big time!_ "

"Hey, don't be so hard on Me 0.5, it's not _our_ fault she sucked at the challenge!" Jo snickered.

Eva glared at her. "Don't start."

"Hey, heroes," Chris continued, "how you enjoying that peanut gallery? Now you can watch one guy from the opposite team get the boot before you head back to the hotel for a deluxe dinner!"

The Heroic Hamsters were sitting in some wooden bleachers, which was adorned with a peanut logo. They cheered and high-fived each other, save for Cody and Gwen.

"Hey, Chris?" Gwen inquired. "What's up with the big toi—"

"Up, up, up! Everything will be explained in due time, Gwen!

"However, before we start the voting process, I need one volunteer to go to Boney Island!"

Gwen was immediately in front of him. "Ooh, ooh! I'll go!"

"Wow, didn't expect that answer. Alright, so, you'll be spending the night there, fending off against the wild, hungry animals!"

Gwen smiled coldly. "Alright, Chris, I'll bite. I've got… _personal_ reasons for going there, but what's with the 'volunteer' incentive?"

"Ah, Gwen, I'm glad you asked!"

Chris pulled out a wooden head of himself from behind the oil drum.

"For those of you who have seen Season 2, I bet you're wondering, 'where the heck is that immunity ticket?' Well…here it is!"

He shook the wooden Chris head.

"On Boney Island, somewhere, hidden deep, _deep_ in there, is this McLean brand invincibility statue! Find it, and you're safe from elimination!...at least, for one ceremony."

Brick sighed.

* * *

 **Brick** : Well, hopefully Gwen'll be a good sport about this if she does find it. I mean, hey, I didn't see Season 1…too busy with cadet camp and fashion school…but I reckon she's a pretty good team player, right?

* * *

"Right, Gwen! Go over to the beach, and Chef will be waiting for you on the Boney Island Boat!"

Chef pulled up in a petite speedboat, adorned with jingling bells.

"C'mon, kid! Or, well, not quite kid anymore, heheheh…you've got some animals to meet and greet!"

He honked repeatedly on the boat's steering mechanism, which emitted a high-toned car horn noise.

Gwen sighed and got in, struggling to get comfortable in the tight seats. "Alright, let's do this…"

As the boat sped out towards Boney Island, Chris turned to the remaining contestants.

"Right! This season, we've decided to simplify the voting process. Just draw a red 'X' on the camper's photo that you want voted out!"

He spread the photo paper out, showing portraits of all 7 Villainous Vultures, including the robot.

"See? Simple! Also, much more difficult to eat and/or manipulate… _Justin._ "

"Hey, it was a rough time!" Justin said sheepishly.

"Right. Get to voting!" Chris said, pointing at the confessional outhouse.

* * *

 **Duncan** : *he squeaks out the photo of the contestant he wants*

 **Heather** : *she's looking between photos of Jo and Anne Maria* Tough call!

 **Jo** : Heather's a good target, but…*she squeaks out someone else's photo*

 **Anne Maria** : Eva is as good as _gone!_ She was a total bitch to me today, and she cost us tha challenge! *she angrily scribbles out Eva's portrait*

 **Eva** : *she crosses out who she wants gone*

 **Robot** : *it beeps incessantly and is slowly drawing something on a piece of photo paper*

 **Justin** : *he's sporting a swollen eye, several splinters and cuts, and is dirty in addition to his bandages. He's holding on to his photo. He sighs* Ohhh, days long gone…

 **Chris, in the distance** : Dude, just _vote!_

 **Justin** : Oh! Right! *he attempts to switch photo paper, but his stack falls into the confessional toilet* _NOOOOOOOOOOO!_

* * *

"I have the results of your votes!" Chris said, looking at the 7 Villainous Vultures.

He turned to B. "You _might_ wanna do something about those two glaring at you…"

" _HURRY IT UP!_ " both Cody and Anne Maria shouted.

"Okay, fine! Yeesh!" Chris said, rubbing his nose.

"First four safe with no votes against…Duncan…Jo…the robot…and Heather!"

Duncan and Jo smiled as they caught their marshmallows. The robot looked at its prize.

Heather's pupils, however, had grown to the size of baseballs.

" _YES! YES, YES,_ _ **YES!**_ "

"Ah, jeez, Heatherrrrr…" Chris groaned.

* * *

 **Heather** : *she's continuously kissing her marshmallow* I'll _never_ eat this one! Ever! *she searches her pockets for something to store it in, but notices she has none available. Her expression softens* Oh.

* * *

The robot turned its head 180 degrees, its eyes squared directly on Dawn. With a lower-pitched _beep_ , it crushed its marshmallow in its clawed hand.

Dawn stared at it, confused.

* * *

 **Dawn** : On the bright side, that robot knows that marshmallows are an abomination against anything natural! Pig's feet, chicken beaks, rats' tails…it's all sickening! *a bird flies and perches on her shoulder* On the downside…that robot's starting to creep me out…I mean, it can't be _Mal_ or anything like that, right? Hahahaha…ha…c'mon, he got eliminated due to injury! *the bird peeps* No, Ms. Bird, I'm _not_ in denial!

* * *

"Next safe with 1 vote against…Eva!"

Eva calmly caught her prize. However, she couldn't help but look around at her team, unsure of who she could fully trust.

* * *

 **Jo** : Heather's a pain in my side, and Justin's liability, and Anne Maria's _really_ annoying, but Eva's a threat! She's goin' _down. *_ she looks over her photos again* On second thought...

* * *

Anne Maria was foaming at the mouth while Justin was looking more and more nervous.

"Campers, B has the final marshmallow of the evening sitting right here…" Chris said ominously.

"Rrrrrrgh! YOU STUPID, UGLY, DUMB N-bleep!-! _YOU BETTUH GIVE ME TH—_ "

"Can it, blabby!" Eva snapped, putting Anne Maria in a heavy chokehold, causing her to cough and splutter.

"Tonight's loser with _4_ votes against… _iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissssssssssss…_ Anne Maria!"

" _NO!_ "

Justin opened his mouth and swallowed his thrown marshmallow in one bite.

* * *

 **Justin** : *his photo paper is soaking wet and has a foul stench* Oh, right, Anne Maria's gone! Duh!

 **Duncan** : Voting for Justin? Yeah, I know, say what you want, but he's _still_ on my hit list!

 **Eva** : *she sighs* Yeah, I voted for Justin. I thought that all that pain and suffering _and_ an elimination would be karma enough for him…guess not!

 **Robot** : *it turns his portrait around to see he's drawn a hand flipping off Anne Maria's face portrait. It beeps*

 **Heather and Jo** : *both reveal that they've voted for Anne Maria* F-bleep!- her!

* * *

B glared at his mortal enemy, his free hand flipping the bird at her for an extremely lengthy period.

"Ooh, I bet that's gotta hurt more than any Toxic Marshmallow of Loserdom would!" Chris chuckled.

"Anyways, onwards! Anne Maria, please follow me and—"

"F-bleep!- YOU! ALL OF YOU! I'M GONNA KILL YOU, YOU STUPID N-bleep!- AND NO ONE WILL—"

Anne Maria was immediately thrown over B's shoulder by Eva.

"Ooh, doubly nice! B, you can do the honors tonight."

The camera transitioned to show Anne Maria bobbing up and down in a massive toilet.

"Behold! The Flush of Shame! Patent pending." Chris said, handing the remote over to B.

"Rrrgh, all of you! I'm not done here! I'll be sure to—"

"Oh, I think you are! You see, none of you are coming back after elimination, ev- _er!_ I think we've had enough unwanted returnees… _Justin_."

Justin ignored Chris and hand-vaulted up onto the toilet rim. He sat down next to Anne Maria and eyed her.

"Babe! You came to see me off!"

Justin cupped her chin in his hand. Anne Maria's face flushed.

She puckered her lips up, moved forward for the big kiss, and…

 _SLAP._

Justin's slap rang throughout the Wawanakwa docks. Anne Maria cried out in pain, a visible red hand mark forming on her cheek.

"Why… _why did ya do that?_ " she gasped, tears forming in her eyes.

"Well, you see, _little turd_ ," Justin said, coldly and ominously, "even though I've done several horrible things in my time: I have never, _ever,_ made anyone feel like a lesser person based on things they can't control."

"Yeah," Eva said, folding her arms, "you just make girls feel lesser by raping them!"

The tension and silence in the air was so thick that it could be cut by a knife.

"Uhh…okay!" Chris said, turning to the episode's helper. "B! Flush her with a vengeance!"

"Oh, just you wait!" Anne Maria snapped, as B hit the button. "I'll be back…just you wait… _just you all waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittttttttttttttttt…_ "

"And that's a wrap for the first episode!" Chris said, turning to the cameras. "How will Gwen fare on Boney Island? How will the villains do without a toxic influence like Anne Maria on their team? Most likely _way_ better, but I'll see you on the next episode of Total…Drama…Heroes vs. Villains!"

* * *

(AN: Here we are, Chapter 1 is done! Hopefully you enjoyed the fact that every member of the cast kinda got a chance to shine. Sorry to the Anne Maria fans! Well…all, uh…2-3 of you? I dunno. She got runner-up, so I didn't think she needed to go super far for another season, _especially_ with her racist tendencies. What did you think of the chapter? Did you enjoy everything? Let me know! Thanks again!)

Heroic Hamsters: Brick, Cameron, Cody, Dawn, Ezekiel, Gwen, Zoey

Villainous Vultures: Duncan, Eva, Heather, Jo, Justin, Robot

14th: Anne Maria

Next Up: Evil Dread

(P.S. expect to see 99% of the honorable mentions as guest helpers this season! Call it a compromise for not giving X characters the chance to compete, but giving them some screen time. So yeah, you'll see guys like Owen, Noah, etc. very soon. _Especially_ with Suckers Punched...)


	2. Evil Dread

(AN: Glad to hear the positive responses! Thanks for your contributions, but now I gotta do mine…)

* * *

 **Chris** : Last time on Total Drama: Heroes vs. Villains, we met our 14 competitors, no thanks to our obsessed uber-fan, Sierra! We divided them up into heroes and villains, but due to some shenanigans, the Heroic Hamsters got a Zoey and the Villainous Vultures got a robot! Their first challenge was to scale the Wawanakwa hill, find keys, and avoid B's traps! Those keys were used to claim their ticket to victory, the totem poles! Eva saved the day after she intentionally ruined Justin's! *the camera cuts to Justin's legs getting crushed* Ooh, that's gonna _hurt_ tomorrow, hahahaha! In the end, Anne Maria's bickering and obsessive Justin crush landed her in the Flush of Shame, and B was the lucky helper to send his rival down the tubes! Only 13 remain, and there's going to be a _lot_ more pain, here on Total…Drama…Heroes vs. Villains!

*cue the theme song*

Episode 2: Evil Dread

* * *

"Do you want a foot rub?"

"No."

"Can I get you a coo- _kie?_ "

" _No._ "

"A piece of ca—"

" _No! Sierra, no!_ Why would you think I'd want your constant attention?!"

"Because you're my Codykins!" Cody cringed as Sierra ran off to the upper part of the spa hotel. "Bee-arr-bee!"

* * *

 **Cody** : Honestly, I think I'm just going to hole myself in here until Sierra's _gone!_ That's fair, right?

*the confessional door begins to open, but Cody yells and pulls it towards him*

 **Sierra, from outside** : Aww, come on, Cody, I have _dinnerrrrr!_

 **Cody** : _NO! Get away from me!_

 **Sierra** : _But…you need your nutrients!_

 **Cody** : I need a lawyer! Aagh!

* * *

Ezekiel sank down happily into the newly built ground-floor hot tub.

"Oh, man, this is the _life,_ eh!" he said, taking a long swig of soda.

"If you keep drinking that, you'll ruin your teeth, you know."

Ezekiel yelped. "O'okay! Who'o's there?!"

"It's just me, silly!"

Dawn was leaning against the hot tub, lazily moving her hand around the steaming water.

"Do you mind if I join you? I mean, I've been detecting your aura, and it seems rather steady and safe! Besides, I wanted to get to know the _real_ you…not the one that's attached to Gwen…"

"I, uh…sure thing, ma'am?"

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : Gwen's to'old me to be _real_ nice to the ladies fro'om now on, eh? Even the weird ones!

* * *

Dawn gracefully balanced herself on the edge of the tub before slowly sinking down. She sighed happily as she submerged herself in the warm water.

"Ahhh, just right! These are wonderful for exfoliation, you know! Have you ever been to a steam bath?"

"N-Not that I kno'ow of, eh?"

"You should sometime! I promise you, it's just like this…only without the water and electrical usage…"

Ezekiel looked down at the lights glowing from the bottom. "I…I guess?"

Dawn giggled. "Don't be so shy, Zeke! I can tell from your aura, you're an outgoing guy! I've seen how you are with Gwen…"

Ezekiel snapped upright, glaring at her. "Alright, if yo'ou're gonna make moves on me, eh, then let me tell you…"

"Zeke, _please!_ Why would I infringe on such a naturally healthy relationship based on trust and respect?"

Ezekiel immediately calmed down. "Oh…o'okay! I'm so'orry!"

"Don't apologize! You're not you when you're flustered like that…"

Ezekiel resumed his relaxing pose. "Alright, eh? So'o, uh, what aboot Gwen?"

"Have you noticed that she's acting a little…flighty? I've seen it in her aura!"

Ezekiel quirked an eyebrow. "Seems the same to me, eh? Whatcha talkin' aboot?"

"I'm going to keep an eye on her during tomorrow's challenge…I could be jumping the gun, but it seems like she's going to do _anything_ it takes to win…"

"Uh, isn't that what everyo'one's do—"

"Ssh, Zeke! The scene's changing!"

Gwen splashed her head up from the swampy Boney Island waters.

"Ugh! No animals, _or_ invincibility statue, down here!"

She sighed as she got out, noticing the sludgy water slipping off her and onto the ground.

She walked out of the forest, looking over at the dimly lit Wawanakwa and the moon glowing overhead.

"Huh! Looks like we're going to have a pretty full moon soon…"

She sighed and looked at the skull-shaped rocks adorning the highest cliffs on Boney Island.

"If anything, they're there… _it! It's_ there!"

* * *

 **Gwen** : No, I'm _not_ losing my mind over catching that stinking duck, turtle, and guinea pig of unknown gender! I just want to kick their tiny little butts for what they did to Bridgette _and_ to me!

* * *

"Ladies! I, I mean, lady _and_ gentleman. May I join you?"

Dawn smiled at Brick. "Of course, you can!"

* * *

 **Brick** : Now that Jo and I are on _opposite_ teams for once, I can finally gauge my competition right from the start! Honestly, being surrounded with people I barely know isn't all that bad! Gives me new friends to make and some potential allies, too. Although, I'm still wondering about Gwen…

* * *

Gwen trudged on, having wiped most of the muck from herself.

 _Alright, if I were 3 annoying-ass animals, where would I hide?_

She noticed a small cave opening overlooking Boney Island's shore. She noticed that the cliffs were right nearby…

 _I wonder…_

Cameron looked at the 3 hot tub dwellers enjoying their conversation.

"Aww, Camody, don't you think you should join them?" Sierra asked, zipping up to him.

"Aah! Well, um, I'm sorry, but, uh…no. Hot water and me _don't_ really mix…"

* * *

 **Cameron** : The hottest Mom ever put my bath water was 'lukewarm'. Apparently, she didn't want me getting blisters due to my sensitive skin… *he pokes his arm* Ow! Yeah, she's right about that one…

* * *

"Wait, speaking of Camody, where's the _actual_ Cody?"

"He's holed up somewhere that I can't find him! _Aaaagh!_ So, instead, I'll have to settle for _you…_ "

Sierra puckered her lips up, reaching in for a kiss.

" _AAAAH!_ " Cameron was out of the spa hotel in an instant.

Sierra made loud kissing sounds to the space that Cameron just occupied. She attempted to wrap her arms around 'Cameron', but she ended up hitting herself in the chest.

Dawn, Brick, and Ezekiel stared incredulously as Sierra yelped and collapsed to the floor.

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : Do'on't tell Gwen this, but that Sierra is just Grade-A _nuts!_

 **Dawn** : Sierra's auras are screaming for any sort of attention…apparently, she never got much of it from her peers when she was younger. On the bright side, her mom and dad loved her very much!

 **Cameron** : *he's gasping and panting* Alright, I do _not_ want to be Sierra's boyfriend! And I especially do _not_ want to be her 'second pick'!

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _Yeah, try being her 'number one!'_

 **Cameron** : _AAAAH!_ Wait, where _are_ you?

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _I managed to slip into the confessional cam toilet hole…and I think I_ am _swimming in number one!_

 **Cameron, calling down** : That sounds highly unhygienic!

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _You're telling me! But I'll take_ this _over that constant attention, any day!_

* * *

"…so, Brick, what brings you back to the show?"

Brick gave Dawn a smile. "Well, after hearing that Sam…*he cringed slightly*…completely ruined his chances at making the finals, I decided, 'why not return and win for him?' I think he'll be surprised when he sees me holding that cool mil, that's for sure!"

* * *

 **Brick** : 'Cool mil'? _Really?_ C'mon, I was better than this last season! Somehow, I blame Topher…*he makes a derpy looking face* ' _Hi, I'm Chris McLean! Listen to me trying to be down with the kids while making really bad puns!_ '

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _Hey, that's a pretty good impression!_

 **Brick** : Oh, my God! Cody's stuck in the confessional? _I'm coming for you, soldier!_ *he attempts to dive into the confessional hole, but gets stuck* _AAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!_

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _Ooh, that's_ really _gotta smart!_

 **Brick, voice strained** : _Yeeeeeeeeeeesssssss…aaah!_

* * *

"Uh, Brick?" Ezekiel asked. "Wasn't this a fan vo'oted season, eh?"

"Oh, yeah, you're right!" Brick chuckled. He looked over at Dawn's neutral expression.

"What?" Dawn asked.

* * *

 **Dawn** : My goal in life is to go my entire life without using _any_ natural resources! So, no smartphones, laptops, or anything like that for me! *she giggles and leans closer to the camera, whispering* _I haven't even used the shower since I got here!_

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _Okay, that's_ really _gross!_

 **Dawn** : *she yelps in surprise* Aah! Cody, I use the _lake_ to bathe! No running water to waste!

 **Cody** : _It's the principle of the thing! What the heck do you even use to stay clean?_

 **Dawn** : All-natural, pure, organic soap of course! *she pulls out a bar* I think you'd want some~!

 **Cody** : _If it means repelling Sierra, then please!_

 **Dawn** : In that case, I think you'd be better off down there…

* * *

Cameron walked back to the spa hotel from the confessionals. He winced as he heard loud shrieks and bites from the loser cabin.

He was just about to head up the steps, when…

" _AAAGH!_ "

"Shhh, Cam, it's just me!"

Cameron looked behind him to see Zoey grabbing his sweatshirt's hood. His eyes widened.

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_ "

* * *

 **Cameron** : Oh, please, oh, please, oh, _please_ don't let her cause my early elimination again! *he crosses both of his fingers, his arms, and his legs* Hey, extra luck couldn't hurt, right?

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _Could you bring some down here, please? I think the water's starting to leave permanent stains!_

 **Cameron, calling down below** : I'd love to, but I don't know how! *he looks up at the camera* Okay, so, uh, _how_ can one spread luck around? I've never read it in any of my books…

* * *

" _Please_ don't hurt me!" Cameron pleaded, as Zoey yanked a little more forcefully on his hood.

"I'm not, okay? I…listen, Cam, this might sound _really_ weird to say this, but…I need an ally."

* * *

 **Zoey** : *she angrily sighs* Look at me. Depending on _others_ like everyone on Bumbler decries. It doesn't matter! I'm still a strong, independent woman! Okay? Everyone _good_ with that?!

 **Cody, voice echoing** : Uh, okay, I know you're full of the stuff, but could you _please_ not crap on me?! I'm dirty enough…

 **Zoey** : *she groans, angrily rolls her eyes, and leaves the confessional*

* * *

"A _what?!_ Zoey, I've been spending the past year, terrified, _terrified_ , that someone like you is going to come and hurt me again!"

"I…ugh! Cam, okay, I'm sorry I hurt you!"

Cameron looked at Zoey, legitimately concerned. "Okay, who are you and what did you do to Zoey?"

"Oh, I know what she is! She's a two-faced liar who says one thing and means another!"

Cameron and Zoey gasped, the latter letting go of the former.

" _Duncan?!_ " she asked, ignoring Cameron shooting forwards and hitting the stairs with a loud " _Ow!_ "

"Oh, hey, someone's _finally_ remembered my name," Duncan scoffed, walking down the loser cabin stairs. "What _are_ you doing, conspiring with _him?_ Honestly, if you wanted allies, go with Gwen! Hell, go with Brick, he's got your LGBT thing down!"

"The only reason I asked _Cam_ to ally with me is because he can't actually physically retaliate!" Zoey scoffed, folding her arms and turning up her nose at Duncan.

"Oh-hoho! That's _rich_ , coming from someone like you! Do you _seriously_ think Brick's going to cause physical violence to anyone? Hell, he folded to _Gwen_ for the leadership role. _GWEN!_ "

"Are you insinuating that a homosexual male like Brick is worth more than a strong, independent female like Gwen? _Huh?_ "

"I'm _insinuating_ that you're full of crap! Listen, it's the chicks with the swelled heads that get a real taste of 'patriarchy' over at juvie! Trust me, I've been there!"

"Wait, did the guys _seriously_ beat up the women? Ooh, why didn't Bumbler _teach_ me any of that?!"

"Not all the time! Only if some perv broke the gender separation rules, or, well…his name was something that rhymes with pal…

"But that's beside the point! If you went to juvie for whatever reason, trust me, lady, you'd be on your ass so fast your head would spin!"

Zoey rolled her eyes. "And would _Duncan_ share his beating experiences?"

"Not a chance, lady! That stuff would _traumatize_ me-uh, you! Yeah, you!"

Zoey's expression changed from disgust to surprise in a snap. "Oh, my God! Are you saying that you have a PTSD experience that could potentially traumatize you for the rest of your life?! Tell _me_ about it!"

"I _don't_ have PTSD, thank you very much! It's not _my_ fault that Ma-uhhhhhhhhh…a- _hem!_ That, uh, those, uh, problems…keep…coming back!"

Zoey rolled her eyes, but this time, she was smirking. "So, should I call this a victory for me?"

"I don't know about you, but I'd _really_ take a long look at yourself before you start lowering other peoples' insecurities! Gosh!"

* * *

 **Duncan** : *he facepalms hard* ' _Gosh'_?! What am I, Harold?

 **Cody, voice echoing** : *he's laughing loudly from down below*

 **Duncan** : Aagh! Okay, who's down there? I'm coming for you! Rrraaagh!

*Duncan reaches his hand down into the confessional hole. He vigorously moves it around, grumbling and grunting, until a stock chomping sound effect causes his eyes to widen*

 **Duncan** : _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAA!_

* * *

The robot stared out of the loser cabins at Duncan, ignoring the yelps, smacks, and yips going on inside.

" _Beep._ "

" _Hey!_ No one asked _your_ opinion!" Heather growled, struggling to break free of Jo's choke hold. "You should pay attention to the things that matter, as in, us! _Me,_ I mean me!"

Jo cackled as she gripped Heather's hair tighter. "Oh, please, Miss Queen-of-Fail, if there should be a leader on this team, it's gonna be _me!_ "

"Sez… _you! Ow!_ "

Justin peered over his bunk at Eva, who was leaning against the one beside him. "So, how long do you think this is going to go on?"

Eva glowered up at him. "Oh, I'll give it 3, 4 hours, tops."

Justin sighed. "Ugh, shouldn't they just get a room?"

Eva rolled her eyes. "This _is_ a room!"

"Jeez, fine! Drama queen."

"Don't you drama queen me, guy-who's-done-way-worse-than-I-ever-have."

"Hahahahaha! _That's_ why I'm the zinger queen, Eva!" Jo laughed, tightening her grip on Heather's neck.

" _AAAAAAAAAGH!_ Get her _off_ me!"

Justin sighed and hand-vaulted off the top bunk. "I need some air."

* * *

 **Justin** : More like a venting spot! *he sighs and looks at his bandages* I _never_ thought that a guy could _seriously_ bruise his, uh, 'organ'. _How_ am I supposed to perform my bodily functions now?

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _I don't need to know that answer!_

 **Justin** : Oh, hey, uh…you! Uh…who are you again?

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _Oh, come on! Don't you remember? 5-man alliance tasked with taking you out?_

 **Justin** : *he rubs his lower lip* Oh _yeah!_ Weren't you the geek that I hated oh, so much?

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _No, that was Noah! I'm Cody! Big difference!_

 **Justin** : You sure? You two seem _awfully_ similar…and attracted to each other!

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _I f-bleep!-ing hate you!_

 **Justin** : Love you too, kid! Anyways, what was I saying? Oh, right! The fact that I can't pee properly ever again…

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _LALALALALALALALALALALA! I CAN'T HEAR YOU! LALALALALALALALALALALA—_

 **Justin** : Can it, young one! I peed here already!

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _I…I…_ _ **what?!**_

 **Justin, with Cody retching in the background** : I gotta admit, that was _extremely_ painful!

*the confessional cuts to an earlier point in time*

 **Justin** : *his butt is in the center of the camera, with his legs and body cutting off on the top or bottom* Okay, uh, okay…c'mon, c'mon…*his bandages rustle* oh, _come on!_ Stupid zipper, getting stuck again! Okay, what if I…*he attempts to turn around, but he starts slipping on the floor. His body slams hard into the camera, causing it to crack, the door to break off its hinges, and the confessional to fall over. Through the static, one can make out the grimy confessional water spilling onto the ground and over Justin* _Oh, come on! Not again!_

* * *

Duncan slammed open the loser cabin door. "Alright, I've had enough of this cat fighting for one night!"

"Ugh, _finally_ , thank you!" Eva grumbled.

"I'm going to take a shower! Gotta cool off…" Duncan said, grabbing his towel and shower supplies.

"Don't wait up for me!"

Jo and Heather looked at the screen door, which had slammed shut.

"Well, _okay_ ," Jo said, without any hint of sarcasm or wit in her voice.

"Huh!" Heather said, wrenching herself free from Jo's grip, "it's about _time_ he cleaned up that 'punk' smell from him!"

"Yeah!" Jo called out to the silent cabin, "Stuncan's gonna get less, uh…Stuncan-y!"

The cabin was completely silent.

"Hey, c'mon! Anyone gonna laugh? _Anyone?_ "

The robot started to beep loudly and incessantly, its metal frame jiggling slightly and its arms clutching its chest.

"Hey, he likes it!" Jo said, holding up her hand for a high five.

* * *

 **Jo** : Right, if anyone, I think that robot's gonna be the glue that holds our team together! I mean, hey, he can't talk, sooo…that's a win-win right there!

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _Uh, who are you, exactly?_

 **Jo** : Only your friendly neighborhood Spider-Jo!

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _Come on, that one's not even that funny!_

 **Jo** : Oh, screw this! *she angrily kicks open the confessional door and leaves*

*the confessional is quiet for a few moments*

 **Cody** : _You know, I can seriously get used to this! Woo-hoo!_

* * *

Duncan slammed open the communal bathroom door to see Justin sitting on the sink. The model was applying face moisturizer and lip balm.

"Oh, great, seems like _some_ things never change…" he said, walking over to the showers and turning the tap of one.

"Well, I have to admit, seeing _you_ concerned for your hygiene like this is…well, different," Justin said, pulling out an eyelash straightener.

"Oh, can it! I can take care of myself! Ask anyone who was on my team in Season 1! Heck, I should ask _you._ "

Justin looked over at his adversary. "Oh, _right_ …you were the first one to break out of my 'true love's kiss' right away…hmm hmm hmm…"

"Hey, you're on the same playing field as the rest of us! With your lower half in bandages, there's no way that you can mind-rape anyone now, huh?"

Justin looked down. "Well, yes, I suppose, you are correct…but, Duncan, my friend, there _is_ one thing I need since I got back onto this season…"

Duncan wrapped his body up in a towel. "And what would _that_ be?"

"An _ally._ "

* * *

 **Justin** : Yeah, an alliance with Duncan? You'd think I was out of my mind!

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _Oh, we proved that long ago, you depraved lunatic!_

 **Justin** : Oh, can it! Anyways, you know how the saying goes, 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer…'

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _I'm pretty sure with how up close and personal I am with your body fluids right now, we might as well be brothers!_

 **Justin** : I said I was sorry, Cody!

*Justin flips back over and exits the confessional on his hands. It's quiet again for a few moments*

 **Cody** : _No, he didn't Woohoo! Score two for the Codemeister!_

 **Heather** : Alright, so _Jo_ is continuing to get on my nerves! Why can't she see that me being the leader of the team is the _best_ way to go!

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _Maybe she sees that you're full of crap?_

 **Heather** : _SHUT IT,_ uh…who are you again?

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _Oh, come on! I'm Cody? Remember, from Season 1? I was on your team!_

 **Heather** : Well, I don't remember, given that we've _barely. Interacted!_

*she angrily storms out of the confessional, leaving it quiet once _again_ *

 **Cody** : _Huh! She's right!_

* * *

Gwen was wriggling through the narrow cave, glancing at the slight bits of dried blood, claw marks, and singe marks that lined a portion of it.

 _Huh. What happened here?_

With a small _pop_ , Gwen had exited the other side of the cave. She saw some beams of moonlight shining through a large hole nearby.

Gwen gasped as she saw the moon glowing brilliantly in its nearly-full glory. She sat down at the edge of the hole and inspected her surroundings.

"Well, looks like I'm staying _here_ tonight…" she murmured to herself, leaning against the left edge of the Boney Island skull's left eye.

Unfortunately, her rest would be cut short…

Gwen was forcefully shoved off the skull by a Boney Island mutated beaver. She yelled loudly as she fell, fell, fell…

 _SPLOOTCH!_

Gwen wailed as she felt herself slowly sinking into some thick muck. She then sniffed the air.

"No way…is this… _bear poop?!_ "

A bear walked up to her on its hind legs, carrying a newspaper. He looked down at Gwen.

"Yeah, definitely bear poop…"

The bear pinched its nose and wandered off to do its business elsewhere.

Gwen was now struggling to free herself.

 _I don't think this is_ all _bear remains…probably a sinkhole of mud more than anything. No wonder these guys use it, it's like a natural toilet!_

Loud roars and squeaks came from nearby, followed by the ground starting to shake.

Gwen groaned. _Oh, boy, more beavers. Now what?_

Her question was soon answered. The beavers rumbled along to the base of the cliffs. They stopped there, and one particularly scarred one squeaked something to the rest.

Gwen watched from her semi-safe place as some of the beavers dropped down right where they were to sleep, while some others went towards the small cave entrance she had entered earlier.

 _Oh, lord, guess I'm not moving tonight…_

Gwen swore under her breath and sank deep into the disgusting concoction.

Ezekiel, Dawn and Brick winced as Sierra ran manically throughout the spa hotel, hitting assorted walls, pottery, and Chris busts.

"Cody? _Cody! CAM-ODY! CODYCAM! CAMODYRON!_ Where are _you-hou-hoooooooooouuuuuuuuuuu!_ "

Dawn splashed out of the tub and put an arm around the sniffling superfan. "Come here…it's okay…"

Ezekiel and Brick exchanged glances at each other.

* * *

 **Brick** : *he ignores Cody snoring in the background* Sierra's _really_ starting to freak me out. It's no wonder the little guy's sound asleep down there!

 **Dawn** : Sierra's aura is changing rapidly…especially when Cody and Cameron are out of her reach! Ohhh, my parents said that kindness is the best policy, but this…this isn't going to be easy!

 **Cody, from below** : *he snorts and wakes up with a start* _Aah, Sierra! Not the face! Oh…ohhh…whew! Wait, I can't see much light…hello up there? Hello?_

 **Dawn** : It's me again, Cody!

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _What's that? I think I got some water in my ear! Is that you, Zoey? Ohhh, I can't hear all that well…_

 **Dawn** : I'm just mentioning about my parents and their policies, Cody!

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _What's that about your parents, Zoey? Did they hurt you? Oh, God, I hope they did!_

 **Dawn** : Uhhhh…that comment aside, no! My parents are vegans, and they're named Laurie and Miles! They adopted me from the wild when I was 6! They're the _best!_

*the confessional is silent for a moment*

 **Cody, voice echoing** : _What?_

 **Dawn** : Yeah, they did! It's what they told me, anyways…unfortunately, everything before that's a little hazy! Although, I _think_ I made friends with a bunny…maybe?

* * *

"Sierra, I wanted to extend my offer of gratitude," Brick said, splashing out of the hot tub and grabbing a towel. "Thanks to you, you gave us a second chance to win a million bucks!"

Sierra sniffed slightly. "Don't thank me, thank the fans! They're the ones who wanted you back, right?"

Dawn patted Sierra's shoulder. "I think you're right! Now, go out there! Go shout to the world that you're thankful you're here on the island! Go! _Fly, my pretty bird, fly!_ "

Sierra sprinted up the spa hotel stairs first. "Hold on! Gotta get Cody's gadgetry first!"

* * *

 **Sierra** : *she sniffs Cody's technology lovingly* Look at this! This is the sword that he used in Season 1's finale! *she presses a button, but a screwdriver is formed from the electrical surge instead, zapping her* _OW!_

 **Cody, from below:** *he's trying, and failing, to suppress his laughter*

 **Sierra** : Who's there? _Who's laughing at me?!_ Are you the voices I keep hearing in my head? Are you? _ARE YOU?!_

*Sierra starts sobbing again and slams open the confessional door, dropping Cody's 'sword hilt' into the toilet during the process. The confessional's quiet for a moment*

 **Cody** : _Woo-hoo! That's 3 for 3 today! Cody, you are on a_ _ **roll!**_

* * *

Sierra wiped her tears as she wandered back towards the spa hotel.

"Sierra?"

" _AAAH!_ Oh, it's you, Zoey! Hi!"

"Uh, yeah, hi. Listen, uh, what are you doing out here? You're not part of the competition…"

"I'm looking for both of my wonderful, beautiful, _Codys…_ "

Zoey gagged slightly as Sierra started drooling again. "Uh, yeah, I know of a place where at _least_ one of them might be…"

Sierra snapped to attention. "Listening, _ma'am!_ "

Zoey rolled her eyes. "Right, Brick 2.0, I'm _pretty_ sure that Cameron's near Chris and Chef's living sp—"

" _I'M ON IT! I'M COMING CAM-ODY! WHEEEEEEE!_ "

Zoey took off her horn-rimmed glasses and rubbed her eyes. "Whew! Thankfully she's so gullible…how ya doing back there, Cam?"

Cam groaned, rubbing his chest and shoulder. "A little better, thank you for asking!"

* * *

 **Cameron** : I'm surprised! Zoey's not usually this nice to me! You know what? I think I'll bite and be her ally! I mean, hey, I've got no one here, right?

 **Ezekiel** : I just wanna give a shout-o'ot to everyone o'ot there, eh? Thanks, _so'o_ much for bringin' me, Gwen, and everyone else back, homes! I _really_ appreciate it!

* * *

Sierra slowly, gently opened Chris and Chef's door.

" _There he is…_ " she squealed quietly. " _All the foot rubs in the world…_ "

She silently gasped as she saw some pale feet next to the black ones.

" _Come…to…Mama…_ " Sierra whispered, eyes wide and mouth drooling.

The night finally came to an end, and the early morning sun awoke Gwen with a start.

"Aah! Oh, thank God I'm still alive!"

A high-pitched _honk_ and some jingling greeted her nearby.

"Oh, double thank God, Chef!"

* * *

 **Gwen** : *she has stink lines emanating from her* Didn't know Boney Island would regrow its flora _and_ fauna after a year! Huh! Note to self: Don't screw around with bear poop.

* * *

Brick was out the spa door at around the same time. However, he wasn't alone…

"Hey, Gay Pride! How's it going?"

"What's it to you?" Brick scoffed at his running rival. "I'm _proud_ of being what I am, thank you very much!"

"Hey, don't sweat it!" Jo chuckled, "I was only congratulating you on your finally coming out of that closet! Maybe I'll do it sometime!"

Brick gave her a look. "You're mocking me, aren't you?"

"Oh, come on, Captain Pride! Would I _lie_ to you?"

* * *

 **Jo** : Yeah, I've kissed my fair share of chicks! …yeah, I liked it! What's it to you, anyways? It's Canada, people don't really _care_ what sexuality you are! I mean, hey, that's why people like Zoey exist, right?

 **Heather** : *she giggles* Jo's _seriously_ a girl-kisser? That's pretty hot… _not!_ Pretty _not! No,_ I'm not admiring her or anything! Okay? And _no_ , I'm not _into_ girls…*she glares at the camera* Seriously, I'm _not!_

* * *

"Room for one more?"

Jo gasped as Heather sprinted next to her and Brick. "Okay, _no!_ This is a Season 2 contestant sprint only!"

"Aww, but running is good for your health!" Heather said, although she was starting to fall behind slightly.

Jo looked down at her. "Not with those shoes, sister! And you call yourself a leader! _Ha!_ You can't even find the best equipment for the job!"

Heather growled at her. "Oh, _yeah?_ I'll show _you_ my leadership! Rrrrrrrraaaaagh!"

Jo yelled as Heather pounced on her again, pinning her to the ground. Brick skidded to a halt as the two rivals wrestled each other, getting dirt over their clothing.

"Aw, yeah! Cat fight! Cat fight!" Ezekiel called, having just left the spa hotel.

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : Hey, what can I say, eh? Girl on girl is pretty hot!

 **Cody** : *he's knocking on the bottom of the confessional toilet* _Can you get me out of here, please? Pleeeeeeease?_

 **Ezekiel** : Huh! Didn't think I said anything, eh? *he exits the confessional*

 **Cody** : *he splashes up from below the confessional toilet* Ugh, that was _sick!_ But, if it means getting Sierra out of my hair, I'll take it! *he starts straining to get his lower half out* Okay, _how_ did I get in here? Oh, right…adrenaline…

* * *

The rest of the Hamsters and Vultures exited their respective cabins now; the robot made loud _bangs_ as it rolled from step to step.

" _I_ say that you're weak and useless!" Jo growled, biting Heather's neck.

"And… _I_ say…that… _OWWWW!_ " Heather yelped, clawing Jo's face.

Jo winced as her face was decorated in red gashes. "Alright, _that's_ it! You're going down like I contributed to Anne Maria's toilet flush!"

"And _you're_ going down like my losing streak! I will _never_ lose again! Never! _NEVER! Mwahahahahaha!_ "

Jo socked Heather hard in the face, causing the latter to clutch her nose as blood spurted from it.

" _AAAAAAAAAGH! This isn't over, Jo!_ Margh my words! You'll bay…you'll bay indeed… _MEDIGHHHHH!_ "

Heather clutched her still-bleeding nose and hobbled off to the infirmary. Jo stood up and wiped off her tracksuit.

" _What?_ "

* * *

 **Jo** : Listen, any affront to my way of doing things earns you a sock in the jaw! Shame I didn't do that last season! God knows Lightning deserved one of those…

 **Duncan** : *he sighs aggressively* Alright, Heather and Jo? They're like two peas in a rotten pod! Honestly, if they can see past their feud, they might find that they're not as different as you'd think! Until then, oh yeah, they're gone.

* * *

Jangling bells sounded at the beach near the cabins. Duncan pinched his nose as Gwen got off the Boney Island Boat.

"Whoo- _wee!_ What ran into you over there?" he groaned, backing away as Gwen advanced. "Sick!"

Dawn took a deep smell of Gwen's new scent. "Ahh, the smell of manure!"

Everyone looked at her incredulously, even the robot.

" _Beep?!_ "

* * *

 **Dawn** : *she's straining to pull Cody out of the confessional toilet* What's wrong with manure? It makes for a great gardening fertilizer! It's _perfect_ when you want some soil but you don't want to give money to the greedy corporations responsible for climate change!

 **Cody** : *he's gasping for breath* Okay, that tirade aside, _please_ don't tell me you contribute to your garden manure yourself…

 **Dawn** : *she looks awkwardly at the confession camera* Uhhhh…

*Cody heavily resists the urge not to projectile vomit again*

* * *

"Okay, yeah, it's bear poop, okay? Fan-freaking-tastic, right?! 'Oh, here's Gwen, superheroine, falls to bear poop!' You know, at _least_ I didn't cover one of Chris's paintings in that crap!"

* * *

 **Gwen** : That sort of act would get me eliminated right on the spot, I swear! *she grumpily sighs* Chris and his crazy ego…

* * *

Meanwhile, Chris was just waking up. He sighed happily as he felt the gentle breeze tickle his face.

Today was going to be _great!_ The sun was shining on his face, the campers would get their torment, the obsessive superfan was drooling at his feet…

"Wait, _what?!_ _CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEF!_ "

Chef chuckled as he left their abode, walking towards the site of the next challenge. "Sucka!"

* * *

 **Chef** : I could've been a _good_ boyfriend and told Chris that the crazy chick was slobberin' at our feet, wettin' the bed! But then, I had to remember that _he cheated on me! With a man eatin' plant!_ _ **AND**_ _A JELLYFISH!_ *he rubs the bridge of his nose* Why the hell do I stay with him…

* * *

The air horn sounded long and loud, causing a flock of birds to fly out of the trees and wildlife to scamper.

" _OKAY, YOU 13 CONTESTANTS! I'D GIVE YOU SOME BREAKKY RIGHT ABOUT NOW, BUT I'M_ _ **REALLY**_ _PISSED! YOU GUYS ARE IMMEDIATELY STARTING TODAY'S CHALLENGE! PRONTO!_ "

Chef chuckled again as he passed the cabins on the way to the next challenge. "Follow me! Thankfully, I've already got our helper over there…heheheh…"

* * *

 **Cody** : *the confessional vibrates heavily with the air horn blast, wiggling him past the toilet and onto the floor* _Ow!_ Wait…I'm free. _I'M FREE! YES!_ I'm coming, teeee _eeeeeeeeeeeeeam…_ *he bursts out the door and runs as hard as he can*

* * *

Chef led the 13 contestants (including a no-longer injured Heather) to the same beachfront they were at yesterday. However, the layout had significantly changed; the totems were replaced with high-rising platforms, and the beachfront was enclosed into two squares. Furthermore, there was a viewing podium raised high off the ground in the middle.

Three interns were finishing putting mounds of sand back over some holes, patting it firmly so that it wouldn't look out of place.

Gwen noticed, however, that the 4th intern was in a hole, and she had suspiciously blonde hair…

"No. _way._ "

* * *

 **Bridgette** : Yeah, Chris brings me back to 'help or hinder' somebody or some _team_. Kinda wish he was a _little_ more specific about it…*she sighs* I don't know how to feel about being back here…

* * *

"I don't _believe_ it! Chris brought you back?!"

"Yeah! Well, it was more Chef's thing…he called me up, said, (the next words were in a poor imitation of Chef) ' _hey, do ya wanna help Season 3 contestants?_ ' I said sure, he picked me up last night, and told me to ' _get to work over there, girl!_ '"

"I do _not_ sound like that!" Chef yelled as he made his way towards the viewing podium.

Gwen nearly fell down a still unburied hole, she was laughing so hard. "Okay, that is _so_ lame, but that gave me a smile.

"…which is more than some people have been giving _me_ lately."

Brick, Dawn and Ezekiel exchanged looks.

" _See?_ " Dawn whispered to Ezekiel, " _She's becoming more independent! As in, focused on the million! Watch as she starts taking authoritarian control of this team!_ "

Ezekiel quirked an eyebrow at Dawn.

"What the _hell_ are yo'ou talking aboot?"

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : Gwen? Ditch me? Nuh-uh! She really appreciated the time I spent with her o'over the last year, eh? Hell, my dad was cool with her! _My dad!_ Ya kno'ow? The raging sexist? I think Dawn's tryin' to'o put a wedge between us, eh? Not happening!"

 **Dawn** : I felt it! Gwen's definitely starting to change, especially since her night on Boney Island…*she sighs* what does she keep talking about with 'animals', though? They wouldn't do any harm!

* * *

Gwen looked around more closely at the challenge area. The platforms were differently colored, one red and one gold. They were surrounded by a pit, in which she could hear _snaps_ and scuttling sounds. Lastly, the line dividing the squares was colored pitch black, and there were slight amounts of heat emanating from it.

"Good morning, _losers!_ And Gwen and Cody! Wow, you guys _stink!_ "

Chris was dragging Sierra by a handcuff attached to her wrist. He was grinning, wearing sunglasses and a beret that covered his would-be tangled and messy hair.

"Hey, Chef! I caught one!" he said, as he attached Sierra to the viewing podium, smiling as he locked the cuff to a leg of the stands with a _click!_

"Uh, Chris, _where_ did you find that?" Chef asked, as he and Chris walked up to the top of the viewing area.

"Oh, I think you know," Chris said with a sly smile. "This time, though, I was the _bad cop._ "

Chef facepalmed as both sat down. Chris pulled out his trusty megaphone.

"Can't believe it was holed up in Sierra's luggage," he said to Chef, massaging his 'baby' happily.

"That girl has luggage?!"

" _Ahem! Good morning, everyone! Today's challenge is going to be pretty wild! You're going to have to dig up puzzle pieces from the Wawanakwa sands!_

" _The pieces will create two puzzles total! Both puzzles will be iconic moments of the show; one from season 1, and another from season 2!_

" _Each puzzle will have 7 pieces, so there'll be 14 to find in total! Also…good luck sorting things out! LET'S GO, GO, GO!"_

Bridgette and Gwen walked up to the Heroic Hamsters as Chris blew his airhorn.

"Here! I was asked to give you these," the former said, handing Cody, Cameron, Zoey, Dawn, Brick, and Ezekiel a shovel apiece.

* * *

 **Gwen** : Well, looks like Bridgette's on our side! …hopefully!

* * *

"Oh, and a map showing you all the traps around here…"

Bridgette handed them one out of two furled maps. "Let's see, uh…yeah! Gave you the right one!"

Ezekiel looked at the other unfurled map. On it was one word: " _Treasure_."

"Oh, come on, that's cheating, eh!"

"No, it's not!"

* * *

 **Bridgette** : Look, I have to help _both teams…_ even though I hate to help out a bunch of villains…*she sighs* But hey, if it makes Zeke feel better, those are just general areas on there…or, for the villains, there _might_ be some wrong directions on their map…you know Chris, loves to see people suffer!

* * *

Bridgette carefully stepped over the hot coals.

"Alright, guys, here's _your_ map…" she said, reluctantly handing it over to Duncan.

"Also, Chris said that you could call on me if you needed any help, yadda yadda…yadda…"

Bridgette yawned. "That good enough for you, you two?!" she snapped up at Chris and Chef.

"Eh. I don't care." Chris was resting his head on his hands, struggling not to fall back asleep.

Chef just shrugged.

"Good. Good luck, everyone!" Bridgette said, joining the snoring Sierra back at the base of the viewing area.

Cody took a quick look at his map, then pulled out his 'hilt'.

"Stand back, ladies, the Codester's got a way to win this!"

An elongated, thin sword popped out of the hilt, but then it transformed into a pinwheel of shovels.

"Alright! Let's get digging!"

* * *

 **Cody** : Yeah, I've _usually_ got a better method than those simple devices that Chris leaves for us. It's all part of my strategy! Aw, yeah! Hey, any way to surpass that _winner_ , B!

* * *

Cody spun his shovel blades so rapidly that it created a powerful gust in its wake. He dug into the ground, disappearing.

Gwen looked at everyone else. "Alright, so, uh…"

A slight rumbling came from nearby. Cody popped rapidly out of the ground, holding 3 white puzzle pieces.

"Ladies!" he said, tossing them to Dawn, Gwen, and Zoey, the latter whom glared at him.

"What?" he said, chuckling nervously.

* * *

 **Zoey** : So, Cody's just another egotistical cis white male with patriarchal ideals on how to get women into his pants. *she sighs angrily* I'd be upset at Izzy, but I don't think she's _quite_ mentally there…wait, shouldn't I be _celebrating_ that?

 **Cody** : Huh, with Sierra out of my personal space, this game's in the bag! Woo-hoo!

* * *

Duncan examined the map closely, flanked by Heather, Jo and the robot.

"Alright, team!" Heather and Jo glared at each other as they said the exact same words. " _Stop that!_ "

Duncan rolled his eyes as Heather tackled Jo straight into the crustacean-infested area, causing both to start yelping and screaming as crabs snapped and pinched their body and hair.

"Girls…" he said to himself.

" _What_ was that?!"

Zoey was at the heroes-villains border faster than one could say "oppressed".

Duncan motioned to Heather and Jo dancing wildly to free themselves from their torment. "Look at these two! They're _nuts!_ "

"Yeah? And?"

"And they're going to lead our team to a loss again, that's what!"

"So? All the better to get disgusting rapists and other cis white males out of the game…"

Duncan looked warily over at Justin, who was sitting down, digging directly in front of himself. "Yeah, I _guess…_ but at this rate, you'll have the numbers advantage in no time, right?"

"You _do_ know I'm referring to you too, right?"

Duncan groaned and slumped forwards. "Right, why _do_ you hate these 'cis white males'? What did they ever do to you?"

"They've been spreading their ideals onto this culturally rich Canadian society! The counter-culture lives on, Duncan! Join me, and you'll finally see the light!"

"Oh, my God…Zoey, listen, if I replaced what you just said with religious stuff, you'd tell me that that was a cult!"

"How _dare_ you?! It's not a cult! It's the right way to live!"

"Hey, _Zoey?_ Why don't you do something _useful for once?_ "

Gwen angrily swung her shovel hard, slamming Zoey in the back of her head.

"And _that's_ for harming my boyfriend, you overly-dyed Neanderthal!" she said, glaring down at the hipster, who was writhing in pain.

Dawn looked over at Ezekiel, who was hurrying over towards Gwen. "See? I told you she couldn't be trusted!"

* * *

 **Dawn** : My auras haven't lied to me before, and I can tell with the utmost certainty, Gwen's going to have some dark times coming in her future…but I can prevent that!

* * *

Brick winced at both Zoey and Gwen. "Eeeesssh…"

* * *

 **Brick** : I'd honestly want to hate Gwen for her excessive behavior, but at the same time, I'm not condoning Zoey's actions one bit! *he sighs* Why is someone like _her_ supporting me? She doesn't know what I go through! …does she?

* * *

Justin and the robot were digging around the area. The robot _beep_ ed and pulled out a puzzle piece.

Justin looked at it. Something seemed awfully familiar. "Wait, isn't that…?"

He was looking at his own face, which was contorted in pain and looking bruised and cut.

"Oh, that's probably nothing too serious…it might be…"

However, what Justin pulled out of his sand pit confirmed his fears.

He was looking at a wrist laser, which was shooting out a blast.

" _NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_ "

Justin's scream rang throughout the island once again, causing even more wildlife to scatter, more birds to fly away, and for Chris to nearly risk losing his sunglasses.

"Ooh, looks like Justin's found our Season 1 shout-out over there!" he chuckled to Chef, who nodded in assent.

* * *

 **Justin** : They'll _never_ let me live that down, will they? Well…it's only fair, after all. I _was_ a horrible monster, both mentally _and_ physically. Maybe these…*he motions to his broken legs and pulls off his shirt to show off his scar on his chest*…these are a sign! A sign that I, Justin, should be a better person! …oh, who am I kidding? What fun is being beautiful _and_ good?

* * *

Sierra snapped awake from Justin's scream. " _Aah!_ Where am I?! Cody? Cam? Codycam?"

"One of them's over there!" Bridgette said, pointing at Cameron, who had a 4th piece in hand.

Sierra gasped happily, eyes twinkling. " _I'm coming, Codycam!_ "

She snapped the cuff chain effortlessly, sprinting towards Cameron…and ended up falling headfirst into a hole that was right in front of her.

Cameron listened as Sierra screamed, going down, down, down… _thunk!_

"Whoo!" he said, wiping his forehead. "Thanks for the forethought, Cody!"

Cody popped up from the hole next to Cameron. "It's what I do!"

* * *

 **Cody** : The more I see Sierra and what she does, it makes me a _lot_ more grateful that I'm dating Izzy…speaking of, can you _please_ return my calls? *he pulls out a sheet of paper* Wait, is this thing legit?! *he holds the numbers to the confessional camera: 867-5309*

* * *

Sierra popped out of the hole, dazed and confused. She vigorously shook her head.

"Wait a minute… _this is all wrong!_ "

She immediately shoved Cody into the hole he had just climbed out of. "You shouldn't be here! Wait, where's Mike? Mike? _Mii-iiiiiiiike!_ "

Gwen looked at Ezekiel, confused. "Wha…"

" _You shouldn't be here either!_ " Sierra yelled, shoving Ezekiel into another empty hole.

" _OW!_ " the homeschooled teen cried out.

"You _really_ don't need these!" Sierra said to Zoey, wrenching off her glasses and tossing them into the hole Ezekiel fell into.

" _Hey!_ I actually _like_ the aesthetic of those!" Zoey snapped, diving into the hole and landing hard on Ezekiel.

" _OWWWW!_ Not again, eh!"

"Not sorry!"

Sierra looked at the rest of the Heroes team. "You two should also _not_ be here, even though everyone wants you to be!" she yelled, running at Brick and Dawn, who both dodged out of the way.

" _WHERE'S SAM?! SAM? SAAAAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAM!_ Maybe he's out on the water getting brained by a passing boat!"

Brick was looking more and more bamboozled. "Uhhhh…"

Sierra hurried over to Gwen, who was staring in shock at Zoey and Ezekiel struggling to free themselves.

"You and Duncan, get over to that line! _Now!_ Gwen, you should be a _villain!_ "

Duncan folded his arms as Sierra dragged Gwen to the bed of coals. "Okay, _what's_ the deal here?"

" _Now kiss!_ " Sierra slammed Gwen towards Duncan, but all she did was succeed in having Gwen fall on the coals.

" _AAAAAAAAGH! OW! OW OW OW! OWWWWWWW!_ " Gwen yelped, immediately getting up and running towards the water.

Sierra looked over at the villains' side. "Jo and Heather make sense, but, uh… _where is Lightning?!_ "

"Huh? You mean the first person who got the boot last season? He's in the pit of unloved characters!" Jo said, holding up her fists. "You wanna go? Huh?!"

Eva placed a firm hand on Jo's shoulder. "Hey! Don't. It'll just bring a _lot_ more trouble than it's worth…"

Sierra looked over at the platforms. "Is Courtney getting pinched alive by the hermit crabs?!"

"N-no…" Cameron said, looking down at the crab moat. "She's not even here!"

Sierra looked over at Justin and the robot. "Okay, something's _seriously_ wrong here! _WHERE'S ALEJANDRO?!_ "

She sprinted over to the pair, gasping and groaning.

"Okay, _you_ … (she motioned to Justin's bandages) …seem like Alejandro, but it's like…you're a lesser version of him!"

"I'm sorry, who?" Justin asked, scratching his head.

Sierra shoved Justin into the hole he just dug (" _OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWHOWHOWHOWWWWWWWWWW!_ " he yelled, as he landed on his legs) and stared face-to-face with the robot.

"Are _you_ Alejandro?" she asked, pupils getting larger and smaller each second. " _I'll free you, Al!_ "

The robot beeped at her and started to slowly roll away, but Sierra caught up with it.

"Look at all these flaps! Hello?!" she called into the robot's opened chest flap. " _HELLO?! ALEJANDRO?_ "

The robot slammed the chest flap shut, but Sierra persisted. She next tried to pry open the lower half of the robot's face (which was also a flap), in which she succeeded.

" _Is this how you eat, Alejandro? Hello? He-llooooooooo-ooooooooooooooooooo…_ Oh, God, it smells _so_ bad in there…"

Sierra immediately projectile vomited onto Justin, who had just pulled himself out from the hole. The model groaned as the bile slithered down his face.

* * *

 **Justin** : Is this karma? Is this _seriously_ karma?! Ohhh…*he buries his face into his hands, ignoring the vomit covering those, too*

* * *

Chef blew a blowdart out of a bamboo straw, which hit Sierra straight in the neck.

"Okay… _I think that's en…_ " she said woozily, before collapsing again, snoring.

Eva tossed up her 5 collected puzzle pieces onto the platform. "Well, _that_ was weird!"

"Huh! Seems like we've got 8…" Duncan mused to himself, looking at the three pieces Justin and the robot had collected. "And not a trap in si—"

Duncan soon was greeted with a painful bat shot to his groin. "AAAAAAAAUUUUUUGH!"

"Seems like _someone_ spoke too soon!" Jo chuckled, hopping up onto the Villains platform. "Hey, Heather! How's about we put these together, huh?"

Heather shook off the last crab, which was attached to her leg. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Hey! Eva's right! If we don't work together, we'll get way worse than _these_ wounds…"

Jo motioned to her pinch marks and her scratched face. Heather's hardened expression softened once again.

"Oh…"

* * *

 **Heather** : Jo's obviously just getting me to lower my defenses! You know what? I'll play! Let's see where this goes, Jo! But, mark my words, I'm ready for you!

 **Jo** : That near-death experience I had last season helped me realize the value of teamwork! I mean, hey, I'm still looking out for myself, but we can't all look out for numero uno all the time, right?

* * *

Jo pulled Heather up to the platform, then started sorting the pieces out.

"Dang, shame they're all the same jet-black color…"

Eva, however, had dug up another piece in her corner. She looked at it closely.

There was Trent's face, glaring at its invisible foe.

Eva gave it a small smile and stroked it.

* * *

 **Eva** : Yeah, my therapist asked about Trent a lot, too…*she sighs* we couldn't really come to a conclusion on how I felt about him…that, or the person who assaulted me all those years ago…but, now that I keep looking at him, Justin's looking _way_ familiar…somehow…ggh! Focus on the present, Eva!

* * *

Gwen angrily splashed out of the water. "Way to go, _Sierra!_ "

Ezekiel and Zoey were angrily getting back to work. Dawn was consoling the former.

"Don't you see! The auras here, they're getting more turbulent!"

"Yeah, I get it, eh? Can't you just let me wo'ork? Heck, sho'ouldn't yo'ou do some, too?"

"But, Zeke…don't you see? If you follow me…"

Ezekiel looked up and gasped. Dawn's eyes were glowing a steady pale green.

"…we can do _anything…_ " Dawn finished, a very small, faint, green aura surrounding her body.

Ezekiel was nearly entranced by this mysterious, yet comforting, message, but he immediately snapped out of it.

" _Whoa!_ What the heck was that, eh?! I'm outta here!"

Dawn's eyes and aura turned back to normal as Ezekiel sprinted off. "Wait…wh…"

* * *

 **Dawn** : Wait…did that mind-control energy slip out!? Oh, no! I didn't mean for that to happen…Zeke…I'm sorry!

* * *

Gwen hurried over to Dawn, glaring at her.

"Okay, I _seriously_ don't know what you're doing, but it has got to _stop._ "

Dawn looked at her, shaking slightly.

"Gwen…I didn't mean to…I…"

"Mean to instill doubts about me to my own boyfriend? Dawn, I've seen Season 2! I thought you were _better_ than this…"

Gwen angrily stalked off to shovel. Dawn looked down at a starfish that had arrived with the waves.

"At least _you_ understand me…" she said mournfully, picking it up and gently stroking it.

* * *

 **Dawn** : I'm not…quite good…at these social interactions…I mean, if you spent the first 6 years of your life in the wild, and developed some freaky energy that's sealed off inside you forever…I'm sorry, what was I saying? Oh, right! Things like that make you a little… _afraid_ …to converse with others…

* * *

Heather had constructed all of Trent shooting Justin with his wrist cannon, while Jo was in the process of putting the second puzzle together.

"Huh! There's Anne Maria, getting her comeuppance…and hey, there's B's head!"

She pointed down near the robot, who had dug up the winner's large head.

"Throw it up here! I got a plan!"

The robot immediately complied, tossing up B's head to Jo. The latter smirked as she placed the top pieces in a pile.

"Alright, so I think we need, uh…5 more pieces! Let's do it, team!"

"Uh…yeah! Let's…okay, _why_ are you playing me like this?"

"Who said I was playing?" Jo chuckled, catching two more pieces dug up from Duncan and Eva. "I just want to help us to victory! Is that _not_ a good thing?"

* * *

 **Jo** : Yeah, yeah, we lost our Lightning yesterday! Anne Maria was pretty much just a walking liability! Honestly, if we lose tonight, it's either me or Heather next, and I _don't_ want it to be Heather! …or me!

* * *

Duncan, Heather, and Justin had dug up 3 more pieces, while Heather put those into place.

"Aw yeah!" she cheered. "C'mon, people, we're almost there!"

"We're missing B's shoe!" Jo called out, surveying the area. "Looks like…wait…"

Near the hot coals, some sand looked out of place.

"Alright, what's the big idea here?!" she called out, pointing at it.

Duncan hurried over and started rooting through it. "Wait…there's no trap here…and the hole's a little too shallow to be empty…that must be the last piece! But where?"

Zoey smirked to herself from the other side.

* * *

 **Zoey** : Yeah, I took that piece when I got out of that hole with the sexist scumbag! Duncan's definitely _not_ the brightest…most cis white males aren't! Why else do you think they'd try to keep the infinitely superior women and minorities oppressed and depressed?

* * *

Duncan scouted the heroes' side for any sign of the last piece.

"Alright, I'm at a loss for words…Bridgette! Hey, Bridge, over here!"

Bridgette sighed and walked over, making sure not to step on any traps along the way. " _What,_ Duncan?"

* * *

 **Bridgette** : Helping Duncan and _especially_ Justin? Everything in me was screaming not to just turn the other way and run! *she sighs again* Why did Chris pick me to come back?

 **Chris, over the loudspeakers** : The fans very _nearly_ wanted you to come back, big winner! But, seems like you didn't make the cut!

 **Bridgette** : Well, unlike _him_ , I've made quite the investment, leaving my cut of the million in the bank! Those charities and surf shops are _loving_ me right now! Ha!

* * *

"Uh, right, so it seems like we're missing a piece…" Duncan said, showing Bridgette the treasure map and pointing at the X near the dividing line. "Any idea where this is?"

Bridgette sighed. "Well, it seems like the rest of the X's are accounted for…maybe it's one of Chris's elaborate ruses?"

"Nope! All those locations are general guidelines to where the pieces are! I wouldn't be _that_ cruel to throw them off the mark like that!" Chris called from above.

Bridgette looked over at the sand again. "Wait a minute…if I'm thinking right…someone's _definitely_ moved that!"

The villains gasped; the robot beeped in apparent surprise.

* * *

 **Jo** : That…traitor! Whoever did this is dead meat! I promise you that!

 **Heather** : That double traitor! I promise you, I might've gone low, but not _cheating_ low, okay? That's just not how I play!

* * *

Bridgette examined the heroes' side of the digging spot. "Hmmm…"

Brick was atop the platform, putting the heroes' puzzles together. He had constructed part of himself pushing Sam to the top of the Wawanakwa hill, while the other parts of the puzzle consisted of Gwen and Ezekiel making kissing faces.

"Huh…didn't realize that _that_ was a major moment…" he said to himself.

He looked down at the remaining 6 heroes. "Alright, team! I recommend that we start at the corners and move inwards towards the center, zigzagging to cover more turf! I have the map; we'll make sure to avoid the obstacles when we see them!"

"Aye, aye, captain Brick!" Cameron and Dawn said, immediately sprinting to the bottom corners.

Gwen was still glowering at Zoey and Dawn, while Ezekiel was shoveling the upper half of the area.

Cody, however, had disappeared for the past hour.

"Wait…man down!" Brick said, hopping down from the platform. "Cody? _Cody! Where are you, soldier!_ "

"Hey, _who_ said you could be leader?" Gwen asked, glaring at Brick.

"I-uh, well, I wanted to bring _some_ form of coherence back into this sinking ship…" Brick stammered, but his words were soon cut off.

" _Sinking ship?!_ Are _you_ insinuating that I can't control a team, Brick?! I'll have you know, I watched every episode of Season 1 _and_ 2 5 times each, just to make sure what everyone was like!

"I'll have you know, that _you_ seemed to cave pretty easily…much less liable to backstab me!"

Dawn grimaced from the far corner of the beach. "I don't like where this is going…"

* * *

 **Gwen** : I _really_ don't like my team now! Cody's doing who-knows-what, Dawn's sowing the seeds of doubt in Ezekiel…never thought she'd be like this…meanwhile, Zoey's pissing _everybody_ off and Brick's trying to wrest leadership from me! Only sane one here is Zeke…and maybe Cameron. Unfortunately, I don't _know_ Cameron…

* * *

"Cody!" Brick called, walking nearby Zoey, "Are you down the—AAGH!"

Brick yelled as he tripped over a patch of sand. "Okay, uh…wait, _wha…_ "

Partially exposed under his leg was a jet-black puzzle piece depicting a shoe.

" _Wait_ a minute…" Gwen said, glaring at Zoey, "You were the only one near the villains' side before Zeke and I, and I'm _sure_ that we didn't go and nab a piece…"

"So, are you saying that I cheated?" Zoey snapped back, hands on her hips.

"Yes! Yes, you _totally_ cheated out there! I can't _believe_ you'd do something like that!"

* * *

 **Gwen** : Fair play's what I'm all about. No cheating or backstabbing others here! Honestly, just keep me leader of this bunch of crazies and we're all good!

* * *

"Alright, Princess 3.5, I'm taking this," Duncan scoffed, taking the puzzle piece from Zoey's botched hiding attempt.

* * *

 **Duncan** : Yeah, Zoey's the new Courtney! Never thought I'd say this, but I would actually _prefer_ the latter coming here again…ugh! Why isn't Zoey a villain again?

 **Zoey** : I was only taking the puzzle piece to save the team from certain elimination! You would too, right? I mean, _look_ at the villains' side! Duncan's a juvie loser, Justin's a serial rapist who would do anything to get ahead, Heather and Jo keep fighting like loons over the leadership, and the robot…well, it's a robot! Eva's the _only_ one I respect though, being the playtoy of Justin all those years ago…*she sighs* that's honestly disturbing for _anyone_ to go through…wait, am I defending _Eva?!_ A cis, white woman?! ...Bumbler, your practices are _seriously_ starting to confuse me...

* * *

Duncan hurled the puzzle piece to Jo, who expertly caught it.

"Nice one, Duncan!" she said, snapping B's foot into place. Finally, the image of B smashing Anne Maria's nose was fully complete.

" _And the Villainous Vultures win!_ " Chris shouted through his megaphone. " _Heroes, I'm pretty sure it's a no-brainer as to who you want voted off! Hahahahaha!_ "

Cody popped his head up from a hole. "Wait, _what?!_ Oh, come on!"

Cameron yelled and dropped his puzzle piece on Cody's head. "Wait, _that's_ where you were the whole time?! Ohhhh…oops!"

Cody yelled as he fell deeper, deeper, deeper…before landing with a small _splash_ down below.

Cameron looked down. "Okay, _why_ is that so deep?! Are you seriously that scared of—"

" _I'm coming, Cody!_ " Sierra called, diving into the hole Cody just fell into.

Cameron winced as he heard Cody scream long and loud, and Sierra constantly kissing him sloppily from afar.

* * *

 **Cameron** : From one nerd to another, I feel _bad_ for Cody! I honestly hope he makes it far! Lord knows I'll need another ally after Zoey gets the boot…*he sighs*

* * *

Evening arrived quickly to the island. The mess hall's food was tasting worse than ever.

"Yuck!" Zoey gagged, spitting out some burnt slop. "Which cis, white male made _this_ crap in order to oppress… _oh._ "

She looked over at the counter to see Sierra cooking dinner, which was getting more and more burnt every second.

"Look, Cody!" she said happily, not paying attention to the bound teen trying to free himself. "It's delicious _and_ nutritious! Just for you! Say _aah!_ "

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-_ ulp!"

Sierra squealed happily, ignoring Cody coughing and spluttering next to her. "There's my Codykins!"

* * *

 **Cody** : *he looks at his string marks, which are red and inflamed* Okay, I don't know how much longer me or my sanity will last on this show! Honestly, chances are good right now that Zoey's getting the boot…unless I can…no, that's low, even for me!

* * *

"I'm voting for Cody. I trust you'll do the same."

Cameron nervously rubbed the back of his neck as Zoey met him behind the loser cabins.

"I dunno…you didn't play very sportsman…woman…like today, and I don't know if I can trust you anymore or not!"

"Hey, didn't I leave you _well enough_ alone today? As in, not getting injured? I think that's a win for your PoC butt, Cam…"

Cameron sighed. "Why does something like my skin color dictate whether or not you'll support me or not? That seems _really_ sketchy…"

"Because, Cam, you're an African-Canadian bubble boy! That's, like, 5 times the oppression points! Just think about how Bumbler would react to me having a friend and ally like you!"

"Okay, _what?! This_ is all our alliance amounts to?! Just…ego stroking on the Internet?! Zoey, I thought you were better than this!"

Cameron angrily stormed away. "Duncan's right, you know. You really _are_ a two-faced liar!"

* * *

 **Cameron** : That's it! From now on, I'm going lone wolf! I'm the new Lightning! Sha…sha-something!

* * *

Chef came up to the Villainous Vultures, who were lounging around the spa hotel.

"Alright, dorks, which one of you's goin' to Boney Island tonight?"

" _I'll_ go, Chef…based on my experiences today, I think it's a sign that I should— _aah!_ "

Justin was picked up and plopped into the Boney Island Boat by Chef. "Ow!"

The other 5 villains watched as Justin was motored off towards his one-night abode…

* * *

Bridgette held 6 marshmallows on her plate, while Chris had the photo paper and the Flush of Shame button lying on the oil drum.

"Villainous Vultures, sit back, enjoy the show," the latter said, motioning to Duncan, Eva, Jo, Heather and the robot, who was still standing beside to the rest.

"Heroes, it's time for you to vote off your first victim!"

Gwen, Ezekiel, Brick and Dawn looked over at Zoey, who was next to them in the back row. Sierra was clamped to Cody in the front row, with Cameron nervously looking at the both of them.

"Beep _boop_ beep, beep _boop_ _ **boop**_ beep…" the robot said, a fiery background being edited in.

"Huh? Did ya say something there, robot buddy?" Jo asked it, smirking.

" _Beep._ "

"Aww, don't be like that! We like you! Let's figure out what you're trying to say— _ow!_ " Jo said, her attempt to playfully slap the back of the robot's head ending in painful failure.

"Anyways, heroes! Get to voting!" Chris said, pointing towards the confessionals.

* * *

 **Gwen** : *she crosses out Zoey's picture* I'd vote for Dawn, but cheaters are a _lot_ higher on my 'hatred' list! She's done!

 **Zoey** : *she crosses out who she wants gone*

 **Cameron** : *he's looking at both Zoey and Cody's photo* This is a tough choice…Ohhhh!

 **Ezekiel** : *he crosses off who he wants gone*

 **Dawn** : I'm sorry, Zoey, but I can't really trust you anymore…*she crosses out Zoey's photo*

 **Brick** : *he crosses out who he wants gone*

 **Cody** : *he angrily scribbles over his own photo* I've had enough! Sierra's made me lose my sanity once, and that's one time too many! *he scribbles something in the free space on the bottom right*

* * *

"I've got the results of your votes right here! Safe tonight…

"…Ezekiel, Cameron, Brick, Dawn, and Gwen!"

"Go Gwen!" Bridgette called out as she tossed the 5th marshmallow to her. She immediately realized her flub. " _Oops!_ "

Most of the Season 2 (and 1) cast glared at Gwen, but some had different priorities in mind...

Dawn looked at her marshmallow. "Anyone want this?"

Cameron stared happily at his marshmallow. "Oh, boy! My very first immunity marshmallow! I'm _so_ ready to eat this!"

"Well, Zoey, Cody, one of you is leaving the game forever tonight…final marshmallow goes to…"

Cameron started to retch loudly, having hastily swallowed his marshmallow. Zoey, noticing this immediately, started using the Heimlich maneuver to help.

"Okay, _ignoring_ that…tonight's loser with 4 votes against…iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissssssssss…"

Sierra gripped tighter to Cody, ignoring the blood starting to trickle from where her nails cut into his skin.

"…Zoey!"

"Okay, _no!_ Chris, _I've had enough of this stupid show!_ "

Cody stood upright, shoving Sierra to the ground.

Chris looked at Cody incredulously. "Dude, you're safe! I mean, I love your self-vote there…and your 'F-bleep!- Sierra' message…but don't fight it!"

"Oh, I _will!_ I'm outta here! Sierra, screw you too, okay?!"

Sierra's eyes filled with tears as Cody angrily grabbed the Flush of Shame remote. "Wh… _Cody?!_ "

Cody wordlessly got himself into the massive toilet and was almost ready to push the button.

"Cody, wait!"

Cody yelped as Cameron threw a device to him. "What _is_ this?!"

"It's your radioactivity device! B gave that to me after last season's finale, and I saw your name on it! When I heard that you were coming back, I _had_ to bring it along with me…"

"Huh…thanks! But that doesn't make any of _this_ any better!"

Sierra was weeping on the Wawanakwa docks, trapped in the fetal position. The rest of the Heroic Hamsters had come to join her.

"So long, Camp Wawanakwa, and good rid- _daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaance!_ " Cody tossed the Flush of Shame remote back to Chris as he pushed the button and started to spin.

Everyone watched as Cody stuck two middle fingers high in the air, the very last sign of the geek that they ever would see.

Chris looked at the toilet, then at Zoey, who was eating the last marshmallow.

"Don't think you're off the hook yet, cheater! Zoey, starting tomorrow, you're on the Villainous Vultures! Duncan, you'll be on the Heroic Hamsters!"

Duncan jumped slightly, visibly startled. "Okay, _what?!_ "

* * *

 **Duncan** : Me, a hero? Not a chance! Unless Chris finally decided to see my softer side from Season 1 as a good thing…but hey, on the bright side, Gwen will make a great ally!

* * *

"And that's a wrap for the second episode!" Chris said, looking at the cameras. "How will Zoey and Duncan fare on their new teams? Will Gwen and Dawn ever reconcile? Will Ezekiel finally start making decisions for himself? Find out on the next thrilling episode of Total…Drama…Heroes vs. Villains!"

* * *

(AN: Well, that's a wrap for this episode! Sorry if some things got either too controversial or too gross for you…especially the beginning and what's been going on with Dawn. I want to flesh these guys out a little, give them some flaws, you know? Well, actually, I wanted to give the Heroes a little more screentime and development, they lacked that in the last episode, I found…also, don't worry, I won't do any more grossout humor like I did in the beginning. Promise!)

Remaining Contestants:

Heroic Hamsters: Brick, Cameron, Dawn, Duncan, Ezekiel, Gwen

Villainous Vultures: Eva, Heather, Jo, Justin, Robot, Zoey

14th: Anne Maria

13th: Cody (quit)

Next up: Saving Private Leechball

(P.S. Sorry to any Cody fans out there! I needed to do this…yeah, that's the breaks of having your favorite characters return like that…and guess what? This ends the _easy_ eliminations…the rest of them are going to be a lot more heart-wrenching from here on out…)


	3. Saving Private Leechball

(AN: How's everyone liking this so far? Chapter 3 is a-go!)

* * *

 **Dawn** : Last time on Total Drama: Heroes vs. Villains, the teams were digging up buried puzzle piece treasure! Bridgette _cheat—_ I mean, Bridgette helped both teams win _fairly_ , but the Heroic Hamsters just weren't quick enough! Zoey was set to go, but Cody selflessly gave his life to the porcelain bowl on the dock…which is worse than the Boat of Losers because it's consuming our natural resources and bringing us one step closer to ob—

 **Chris** : _WILL YOU GET OUT OF HERE!?_ *he shoves Dawn aside* Uh, yeah, today, we'll be making great strides for both teams in this exciting episode of Total…Drama…Heroes vs. Villains!

*cue the theme song*

Episode 3: Saving Private Leechball

* * *

"You are _so_ lucky you didn't get the boot back there!"

Duncan was leaning against the spa hotel. Zoey gritted her teeth as she walked back to the loser cabins.

"For your information, _Duncan_ , I had a perfectly good reason for hiding that puzzle piece on my side!"

"Yeah? And what would _that_ be?"

"I wanted to keep our winning streak going! Your team has more cis white males on it, so I figured, 'why not continue to fight the patriarchy my own way?'"

"You know, we have 3 males on our team, and one of indeterminate gender! Besides, tomorrow, your plan's going up in smoke! Ha!"

* * *

 **Duncan** : Busting Zoey's chops? Yeah, it's getting a little old, but with someone like her, she's _gotta_ learn the facts of reality…

* * *

Ezekiel sighed as he took the top bunk above Brick.

"Ya kno'ow, this team's in need of some major impro'ovements, eh?"

"You're telling me," the cadet replied, setting his alarm clock for early the next morning. "We've got Gwen going all-out on that leadership over there, Dawn being majorly creepy sometimes…and tomorrow we're getting Duncan! Honestly, I'm kinda glad I'm staying _away_ from the drama this season…"

Ezekiel pulled out a certain diary from under his pillow, flipping through its pages.

Brick got out of bed, hearing the noise. "What's that you got there?"

"Oh, just Gwen's o'old diary, eh? Kinda needed to fill it in with the day's adventures!"

Brick scratched his head. "Never saw Season 1…what was that all about?"

"Oh, that's quite the sto'ory, eh! Well, there was this one guy named Justin…"

Gwen gave a small smile as Ezekiel recounted his Season 1 tale to Brick.

* * *

 **Gwen** : You know, with all the crap Dawn's been throwing around, seeing Zeke make a new friend is pretty nice. Although…the heroes need a strategy. Cody was a good player, heck, a _great_ player! Anyone else is fair game…even Duncan!

* * *

" _Guys! Is Sierra there?_ "

Cameron's face wobbled as he peered into the cabins.

"Nope!" Gwen said, looking around. "She's probably in the winner's cabins; Cody's stuff's still there…"

"Oh, thank goodne… _AAAAGH!_ " Cameron said, before his face disappeared from view.

" _OW!_ " he groaned, rubbing his head, while Zoey massaged her shoulders.

"Ugh," the latter groaned, standing up. "Not my fault that you're so heavy!"

Duncan stared at the both of them. "Nonsense! That guy's light as light comes! Here, watch."

He effortlessly lifted Cameron above his head with one hand. Cameron yelled and clung to Duncan's hand.

"Honestly, the problem's that _you_ don't get enough exercise!" Duncan concluded, placing Cameron back on his feet.

"Or, maybe it's the fact that males are biologically stronger than females…" Zoey grumbled to herself, rolling her eyes.

"Uh, right, I'm not _the_ strongest physical person here…that would be Eva," Duncan said, motioning to the spa hotel. "Heck, tomorrow, you're going to meet her."

Zoey glared at Duncan. "Honestly, who cares! You're going to be on the goody-goody heroes' team, you and your disgusting punk, tryhard, wannabe, pathetic—"

Duncan fell to the ground, laughing. Zoey glared at him.

" _What's so funny, cis scum?!_ "

"Oh, _God,_ you're sounding just like Leshawna did to Heather in Season 1! Oh, _man,_ seeing her go home was _brilliant!_ What a racist jerk _she_ was!"

"Excuse me! Racism can only be perpetuated by those parties in power, so, in your case, that would be the cis whi—"

" _Stop!_ " Cameron yelled, jumping in-between the both of them, arms extended to halt each member's advancement.

Duncan and Zoey looked down at him.

"Honestly, this fighting just needs to _end!_ It's…it's _crap like this that got me kicked off the show, Zoey!_ "

Cameron immediately gasped and covered his mouth.

* * *

 **Cameron** : I…I swore! And to Zoey! I… _how do I deal with this?!_ *he pulls his knees up to his chest and wraps his hands around them, similar to a ball. He then starts rocking back and forth* _Please_ don't kill me, Zoey!

* * *

"You know, this guy's right," Duncan said. "If you want to win this season, you've _seriously_ got to keep those opinions to yourself…"

"Ex- _cuse_ me, but what you call mere 'opinions' are my championing for the rights of all oppressed women, PoC, and—"

"Yeah, yeah, haven't I heard this before? Besides, these _opinions_ and your 'contributions' to the challenge nearly got you sent home! Heck, if it weren't for Cody getting fed up with Sierra, you'd have been booted, easy!"

Cameron looked back and forth at the two competitors. "Mommy…Daddy…can you stop fighting, please?" he asked under his breath.

* * *

 **Cameron** : Mom and Dad had some wildly varying opinions on how to raise me…Mom wanted me in that bubble, while Dad wanted me to be raised 'normal'. Mom obviously won, but that was _after_ a divorce, a trial, and Dad having to pay alimony! *he sighs* Mom said I can't even see him; he's 'too much of a bad influence'. Maybe I'd be more physically adept if I actually spent time with him!

* * *

"Ugh! Go take your stupid opinions back to the spa hotel and _stop raping me! HELP! RAAAAPE! HEEEE—"_

Cameron immediately clamped Zoey's mouth shut. " _Quiet!_ You're making a sc—"

" _WHO SAID THAT?!_ "

Eva furiously slammed open the spa hotel door. She was hyperventilating, sweat rolling down her face and body.

Duncan facepalmed. "Dude! Did you _seriously_ just do that to get yourself a 'get out of jail free' card?! You know what, fine! I'm _glad_ you're on the villains' team! I don't think even _Justin_ would stoop that low!"

Zoey's face turned as red as her hair. "That's it! I've had enough!"

She stomped off to the loser cabins, wrenched open the door, and slammed it shut.

Duncan glared at Ezekiel, who was staring out of the cabin. "Beat it!"

He walked up to Eva, who was still panting. "Hey, you good there?"

" _NO!_ I…I mean…I mean…" Eva's breathing slowed, although some tears trickled down her face.

"Listen, _she's_ going to be on your team tomorrow," Duncan said, glaring at the cabins. "If anyone can knock some sense into her, it's you."

"So, wait, that was a…?"

"False alarm, yeah. I don't know _why_ or _how_ she's gotten to be like this, but it's got to be put to an end before someone gets seriously hurt…"

* * *

 **Eva** : Duncan's right! You can't just go around pulling the rape card on people! That's going to _wreck_ an innocent person's life, _and_ it'll delegitimize actual victims! Zoey's wretched…but I'm going to put a dose of reality in that head of hers!

* * *

"Gwen? What's rape, eh?"

Gwen's eyes widened. "Zeke, never ask that again. _Ev-er._ "

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : What? It's just a simple question, eh? No one ever to'old me what it is, ya know? Especially not my mom or dad!

* * *

Zoey flung open the cabin door and flopped into her empty bunk bed. Cameron meekly pushed the door open and sprinted to his own.

"I'd say goodnight to you all, but none of you are worth my time or patience! Especially not the sexist asshole!" Zoey said, before angrily rolling over to avoid seeing the people she hated.

Ezekiel glared at her. "Hey, I've changed, eh? Ask Gwen, she'll vouch for me!"

Gwen gave Zoey a look. "He really has, Zoey. More than you ever will, I'd say."

* * *

 **Gwen** : See, Zeke! I've got your back! Always! Now, stop letting Dawn influence what you might think about me!

* * *

Brick did a quick headcount before going to sleep.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5…wait, where's Dawn?!" he asked.

No one replied.

"Right, I'm going to look for her! No man, or woman, will be left behind on _my_ squadron!" Brick said, slamming open the door and sprinting away.

Gwen smirked and took Brick's alarm clock. She set it to midnight and put it back near his bunk bed.

"There," she said, smirking at Zoey. "Starting at midnight tomorrow, you'll _finally_ be out of our hair!"

Zoey, who had gotten under the covers, glared at Gwen. "Thank God."

* * *

 **Zoey** : Why the hell did Sierra convince me to come back?! Fan season or not, I _seriously_ don't care for anyone on this show! Except for Cameron…kind of…but that's _only_ because he's a PoC! Personality wise, I hate him, too!

* * *

Dawn was meditating on a rock on the beach, overlooking the moonlit waters. However, this meditation wasn't as peaceful as she would've liked…

"Dawn!" Brick gasped, running to where she was and skidding to a halt.

He saw her face twitching and a faint green aura starting to surround her.

"Dawn?!"

Dawn's eyes opened; the pale green glow had returned to them. Brick yelped and dove out of the way as some rocks around her gained a green outline around them, slowly rising…

Brick gasped as Dawn started to speak. However, it wasn't her normal voice; it was slightly scratchy and it reverberated around the campgrounds.

" _I've come out, Mal…I'm coming for you. Just you wait!_ "

The green aura immediately dissipated, and Dawn collapsed onto her meditating rock. The other rocks lost their glow and plopped onto the sand.

Brick's eyes widened as he saw Dawn wasn't moving. "Oh, crap! C'mon! I'll rescue you!"

However, he didn't need to do anything; Dawn's eyes weakly fluttered open.

"H-hello? Anyone…?" she moaned weakly.

Brick picked Dawn up, bridal-style. "Don't worry! I'll make sure you get a good night's rest!"

* * *

 **Dawn** : *she's looking a little more perky* Ever since Mal dropped me off that 1,000-foot cliff, my powers have been acting a little…funny. I awoke my mind-control powers during the year interim between seasons, which was something I _vaguely_ remember having during my time in the wild. Add in the omen I barely remember giving Mal a year ago, and…this is very strange!

* * *

Brick opened the door and placed Dawn on top of Gwen's bunk.

"Oh, thank God…Dawn, you need your rest…" Brick said, tucking the exhausted aura reader into bed.

* * *

 **Brick** : That was the weirdest thing I've seen since arriving on this show…and I've witnessed Sam's massive giant video-gamey thing in last year's finale!

* * *

Brick turned off the lights and was about to get into bed, when he heard a loud yell come from the spa hotel.

"… _AND STAY OUT!_ "

Brick heard a loud shattering of glass, followed by the unmistakable sound of Sierra screaming, then hitting the ground hard.

"Ooh!" he winced to himself. "I'd like to check that out, but…"

He looked at his alarm clock. It was 2300 hours.

"Bedtime awaits…and besides, I'd like to _forget_ today ever happened."

Sierra whimpered as she laid amongst the broken glass. "But…I was trying to return Codykin's things!"

"Don't believe you!" Eva called from the spa hotel's second floor. "You were probably going to sniff his underwear collection or something!"

* * *

 **Sierra** : *she sniffles* _Why_ did Cody-bear leave me?! Was…was I too hard on him? I wasn't even going to sniff his underwear! *she grins slyly at the camera* Well, not the _fresh_ pairs, anyways…hee hee hee hee!

 **Eva** : My therapist recommended I start standing up against sexual assault and violations of personal space wherever I went. Gotta say, that was a smart move! I'm here to make the streets…and islands…of Canada safer, one day at a time!

* * *

Jo stretched out in the hot tub, with Heather right beside her. The robot rolled around on the ground floor, beeping.

"Well, whaddaya know!" Jo said, taking out a makeup mirror which once belonged to Anne Maria. "My face healed up pretty dang nicely!"

She looked closely at Heather's nose.

"So did your… _wait a minute!_ Where did the injury go?!"

* * *

 **Jo** : That _rat!_ She faked her injury! *she slyly grins* smooth move, Heather! My respect for you went up a notch!

 **Heather** : Ah, the wonders of ketchup packets!

*the camera flashes to earlier that day, when Jo socked Heather in the nose. Heather's hands fly up, one cupping a ketchup packet. The ketchup packet hand rams against her nose, spraying "blood" all over her face. It then cuts to Heather crying out in pain and hobbling off. She hides behind the mess hall and wipes her "blood" off, grinning*

 **Heather** : Well, look at that! Jo _thinks_ she can get the better of me, but no one, _no one_ , can get the better of me! Ask all the guys and girls I dumped back in high school! *she glares at the camera* Yeah, I go both ways!

* * *

Duncan looked down at the three of them on the bottom floor. "Enjoy your luxury, chicas! I'm going to sleep in luxury before the team swap."

The robot looked up at him. " _Beep._ "

"Yeah, yeah, goodnight to you, too, robot."

* * *

 **Duncan** : You know, with the robot being of indeterminate gender, am I _allowed_ to call it 'chica'? Oh, look at me, I'm starting to talk like Zoey now! Rrgh! *he pulls out a pocketknife and starts carving on the side of the confessional*

* * *

Justin was hurrying on his hands along Boney Island. He needed to find something, and fast.

He paused and leaned against the cliff face which hosted the tunnels to the skull on top. He pulled out some chapstick and rubbed his lips with it.

* * *

 **Justin** : Thanks for the beauty accessories, Anne Maria! I got some hair spray from her luggage, too…I'm _so_ glad that Chris doesn't send that luggage out until a few days after the contestant is out of here. I hope Anne Maria doesn't hate me _too_ much when she finds her precious things missing…oh, who am I kidding? She's as despicable as _I_ am, and at a younger age, too!

* * *

Justin finally found what he was looking for. A bear was squatting over the sinkhole, newspaper in hand.

Justin held his nose as best he could while moving closer. _Remind me never to go in there…_

"Hel- _lo,_ Mr. Bear! My, what a lovely evening it is!"

The bear looked at Justin, confused, as the model kissed its hand.

"It's okay if you're male or female! I don't discrimin—"

The bear immediately swiped at Justin, leaving a large gash across his face.

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!_ "

The bear stood up, tossing its newspaper aside.

Justin wailed as a series of punches and thwacks echoed into the night sky.

* * *

 **Justin** : *he's got slashes, bruises and cuts all over him, and is squinting through a swollen eye* Well, the chapstick-infused mind-control kiss didn't work on the _lesser_ animals…guess I finally am a normal person!

* * *

At midnight, Brick's alarm clock went off loudly. Zoey yelped as Gwen kicked her out of the loser's cabin, along with the clock.

Zoey groaned as she slammed the alarm off. She then noticed Eva hurling Duncan out of the first floor of the spa hotel.

"Ughhh…guess _now_ it's tomorrow…" he groaned, noticing Zoey. "Oh. Hey."

"Hey yourself…" Zoey fumed, standing up and dusting herself off.

Duncan rolled his eyes as he passed his adversary. "Don't let the door hit you on the way—"

The spa door slammed hard behind Zoey.

Duncan sighed and looked at the loser cabins. "Touchy…"

He then noticed Gwen chucking out Zoey's luggage and Eva doing the same to his own.

8 o'clock rolled around soon enough. Jo was out the door, doing her daily jog.

"C'mon, Leaky-Pa—Brick?"

Brick hadn't come out of the loser cabins. Jo looked at the alarm clock, just ticking away on the ground.

"Oh, jeez. He's going to be _so_ upset when he finds out he's overslept…"

Jo smirked as she turned the alarm on. Brick's military reveille rang throughout the campgrounds.

Brick bolted upright on his bottom bunk, hitting his head hard on the divider between him and Ezekiel. " _AAAGH!_ "

Cameron, Ezekiel, Gwen, and Duncan bolted awake as well.

"Ugh!" Duncan groaned, covering his ears. "First day on the team and already I'm getting a rude awakening!"

* * *

 **Duncan** : So, guess I'm a hero now! *he sighs* Thanks for the wake-up call, Eva! Same with you, uh…whoever set that alarm off!

* * *

The robot wheeled around on the ground floor, repeatedly bumping into the bottom step, beeping each time it did.

Heather looked down at it. "Uh, Eva, why didn't you bring it up, yet you did for the loser cabins _and_ the spa hotel entrance?"

"Uh, _Heather_ , how about its freakin' heavy _and_ there's 15 steps leading up here! That entrance and the loser cabins had 3-4 steps max. That's _way_ easier."

"Eh, fair enough, I gu… _what?!_ "

The robot repeatedly beeped up at her. Heather looked over at her breakfast of turkey bacon and scrambled eggs.

"You want some breakfast, huh, huh? Alright… _hey butler! Give this robot some breakfast!_ "

The butler was next to the table in a flash. "What would the robot _like_ , ma'am?"

Heather looked down at the robot, who was still beeping. "Um…I say bacon and, uh…toast?"

"Would orange juice be an acceptable drink, ma'am?" the butler asked her.

"Yeah, I think that's a pretty good…" Heather said, looking down at the still-beeping robot. " _What?!_ "

The robot flung its arm in the direction of the boy's bedroom. Heather nodded.

"Okay, uh…what do you need?"

The robot traced out the letters C-O-D-Y.

"Got it! You just want to get rid of it, right? Awww, what an _adorable_ little helper robot!"

* * *

 **Heather** : Hey, I don't blame the robot for picking up Sierra's slack! She's been…where _is_ she, anyways?

* * *

Sierra was snoring outside the loser cabins. As she breathed out, small murmurs of "Cam" and "Cody" could be heard.

Cameron winced as he heard the words emanating through the loser cabins like ghostly apparitions.

" _I don't want to go out there!_ " he hissed to anyone who was willing to hear.

"Hey, I don't blame you!" Duncan said, groaning and stretching in his bunk. "Sierra's the weirdest chick I've ever come across, and that's _after_ meeting Dawn…"

Cameron flicked his eyes to Dawn's bunk, only to see that she was still sound asleep. "Oh, thank goodness she didn't hear that…"

"What about it? I make fun of people all the time! It's what I do."

"It's not nice to do that, though!" Cameron retorted. "Honestly, I think that if we learned to get along better, the world would be—"

"Uh, right, you've got a _lot_ to learn about the real world, dude. What the heck's your history, idealist?"

"I'll have you know that for the first 16 years of my life, I was trapped in a germ-free environment in the form of an inescapable bubble!"

"You got out somehow, didn't you? Why the heck are you here?!"

"Well, for your information, _Duncan_ , I _snuck_ onto this show against my mother's best wishes! Heck, she was just about to inflate the bubble again after I was forced to watch Season 2 5 times in a row!"

"And why would that be?" Duncan said, sitting fully upright in bed, arms crossed.

"Because," Cameron said, glaring at Duncan, "maybe she has complete, total control over my life and she's the reason that I haven't gone out, socialized, and made new friends! _Huh?!_ Ever think of that?"

The cabin was silent. Gwen was the first to break it.

"Let me guess, she let you watch the show 5 times over to see the 'dangers' of being on it. Harsh."

Duncan pulled the covers off himself and placed his feet off the edge of the bed, fully facing Cameron.

"Right, I like your moxie, nerdling! You'd make an interesting ally."

"I was just going to ask him that!" Gwen groaned. "Don't steal my thunder, Duncan!"

"Hey, I was going to ask _you_ for an alliance, too! I'm pretty sure you and Zeke are all buddy-buddy, so that makes a 4-person powerhouse!"

Cameron quirked his eyebrow. "Uh, right. What can you do for me that, say, Zoey, can't?"

"I'll treat you with respect, like any human being should. As in, _not_ putting you up on a pedestal just because you're African-Canadian. Trust me, I've seen a _lot_ of race riots stem up in juvie…

" _Not helped by Mal…_ " he hissed under his breath.

"What?! _MAL?!_ "

Duncan caught Dawn as she rolled right out of her top bunk. "Uh, right. What's your deal? You normally don't sleep in like this…do you?"

Dawn sighed and lowered herself down onto her feet. "I'm sorry…it's just been a tough evening, you know."

Gwen gave Dawn a glare.

"What?" Dawn asked her.

"Yeah, a tough evening, all right…basically manipulating my boyfriend into doing whatever you want, huh?! Bet you were staying up late thinking of new ways to say I'm a monster!"

"Gwen, no! I'm going to _try_ to stop that…I promise!"

Gwen angrily got up. "Yeah, I don't believe you. _I'm_ going to see the guy I actually care about."

Dawn sighed as Gwen slammed the loser cabin door.

"But…I don't think that…" she murmured.

"Hey, Brick? Why do yo'ou look so down, eh? It's not like yo'ou to be like this."

Ezekiel looked concerned for his new friend. Brick halfheartedly picked at his better-quality slop, courtesy of Chef.

"I overslept today."

Ezekiel quirked an eyebrow. "I no'oticed that, eh? But what's the big deal? Everyone does that at one point o'or another, eh."

"Zeke, you don't understand! My parents raised me to be 'punctual, perfect, and proud'!"

Ezekiel could barely stifle his giggles. "That's some crazy alliteration, eh?"

"Yeah, yeah, say what you will. It was always 'up at 5, early morning run until 5:30, shower and get ready for the day, breakfast at 7.'"

"Huh! I've barely seen you sho'ower though, eh?"

"I wash myself on a regular basis! Maybe it's because none of you were up to see it…"

"I guess, eh? It's not a big deal to me, tho'ough…"

Brick sighed as he saw Jo strut-jogging past the mess hall window. "She'll _never_ let me live this one down…"

"Yo'ou know, I've been wondering about that, eh? Why does she hate yo'ou so much?"

"I wouldn't call it plain 'hate', Zeke, it's more like…we don't agree on some things. You know what I mean?"

"Oh, yeah! I've had some problems with the girls in the first season, eh? Thankfully Gwen helped me get over _that_ hurdle…"

"She seems nice, but…"

"Yeah, I kno'ow…she doesn't like Dawn much, eh?"

"I think I see why, too…she was kinda close to you a lot yesterday…add in the fact that Gwen's your girlfriend, and…"

"Yeah, jealousy's a bitch, eh?"

Brick sighed. "Yeah. Do me a favor, Zeke. Try and stay on Gwen's _good_ side today, will you? I don't want the team dynamic to tear up further!"

* * *

 **Brick** : Honestly, after Jo's elimination last season, we all got along great! …until Anne Maria kissed me, that is…*he looks at his pin* But no matter what, I'm going to stay true to who I am! Even to the end!

* * *

Jo snickered as she sprinted past Gwen.

"Hey, Count Gwenula! Your boyfriend's fraternizing with _my_ rival! Might wanna _do_ something about it!"

She wrenched open the spa hotel door. "Good morning, everyone! Aaah, what a _wonderful_ day it is!"

Zoey looked down at her from the breakfast table. "Uh, okay, are you coming up, then? We're trying to get rid of the sexist's stuff…"

"Wait, Zeke left his stuff here? Aw, man!"

"No, more like _Cody's_ stuff. Heather's getting the bag down to the robot…"

 _BANG._

The robot visibly flinched as Cody's heavy duffel bag fell hard on its head. " _BEEP!_ "

"Aww, don't feel bad, Metal-Head! I've seen people take worse on the show! You'll be fine!" Jo said.

Heather gave Jo a confused look. "Uh, are you _okay_ down there?"

* * *

 **Heather** : Since yesterday, Jo's been acting _awfully_ civilized…I know that pep talk Eva gave her might've done some good, but I wonder…a- _hem!_ Nevertheless, this is _the_ right time for me to swoop in and take charge! Queen Heather for life! _Hahahahahahahahahahaha!_ *poor lightning effects flash across the camera*

* * *

Jo hopped up the stairs two at a time.

"Ah, _man!_ That jog and Brick losing his composure sure made me hungry! What's on the menu today, butler?"

"Pancakes, bacon, eggs…the standard," the butler said, standing nearby. "I'll be sure to make it as you like it."

"Ya know what? Let's go for a sausage day today!" Jo said, sitting next to Heather. "Hel- _lo,_ teammate!"

Heather sat down between her and Eva. "Okay…who _are_ you and what happened to Jo?"

* * *

 **Jo** : Eva, surprisingly, was right yesterday! Last time I tried to take control of the team, it nearly caused me to lose my breath underwater and I had to be saved by Sergeant Soggy and Chef! *she _pffts_ and rolls her eyes* Now _that's_ embarrassing.

* * *

The robot pushed open its chest flap. A skinny, tanned arm reached out, unzipped Cody's bag, and pulled out a handful of tools.

Everyone was too busy eating their breakfast to notice the pale blue shirt sleeve above the tanned arm…

* * *

 **Robot** : *it beeps incessantly once again, holding its hands near its chest and throwing its body back as if doing an exaggerated evil laugh*

* * *

"Oh, yeah! Hey, robot!" Heather said. "Is there anything you'd like for breakfast? Seems like _someone…_ (she glared at Jo) …didn't account for you!"

"Hey! I thought it was just a plain robot that could help around!" Jo said. "My memory of the show's a little fuzzy! Sue me!"

* * *

 **Jo** : *she laughs to herself* Sue.

* * *

The butler handed Jo her sausage links and orange juice and looked down at the robot.

"Would it like anything?" he asked the Villainous Vultures.

"I don't think so," Zoey immediately cut in. "It's a robot! Hopefully there's a cis white male in there…it's the best fate they deserve…"

Eva glared at Zoey. The temperamental jockette hadn't said anything throughout the entire meal, but now, she needed to speak.

"You. Me. Bedroom. _Now,_ " she said, slamming her fork onto her plate.

Zoey, surprised, nodded and sprinted to the bedroom.

Jo whistled as Eva slammed the door behind her. "Looks like they're going to get some _bedroom action_ , if you know what I mean, wink, wink, nudge, nudge…" Jo then wolf whistled.

Heather glared at her. "Yeah, I _thought_ you were being funny and all, but that's a little harsh, don't you think?"

"Wha? Hey! _Hey!_ " Jo's pleas fell on deaf ears as Heather strutted down the stairs and sashayed out the door.

* * *

 **Jo** : Oh, come on! Maybe there's a time and place for humor, huh? On other terms, I saw Heather's butt…glutes! _Glutes,_ Jo! You just want to tone them, not stare at their gorgeousness all day! Aagh!

 **Heather** : If I didn't know any better, I'd say Jo's got the hots for me. Ha! As if! I was voted 'most datable' by _all_ the guys and girls for senior prom…but that was after I dated the most popular ones to boost my image and dump them when they were done! *she laughs* Oh, the looks on their faces were _priceless!_

* * *

The butler handed down a sunny-side up egg and some toast to the robot, along with a glass of water.

"It's something simple, yet effective," he said.

The robot opened its 'jaw' flap and dumped the food inside. Jo and Heather watched as they heard savage chewing noises.

"Huh! Guess that guy's hungry…" Jo chuckled.

The robot dropped the plate out of its chest flap, then put the drink in. Heather and Jo noticed the tanned hand.

* * *

 **Jo** : Huh! Guess there's a human in that robot…you don't think…hmmm…

 **Heather** : I never saw Season 2, so how should I know about who's in that robot? Ugh, could be some freak named Alejandro for all I care!

* * *

Ezekiel yelped slightly as Gwen tapped his shoulder.

"Hey, uh, Zeke? Can I talk to you, in private?"

"Sure, eh? What's the problem?"

Ezekiel smiled and gave a small wave to Brick, who meekly waved back. The homeschooled kid noticed that the latter looked more dejected as he went back to his breakfast.

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : Honestly, eh, I gotta make as many friends as I can! Gwen's go'onna be bustin' my butt this season…she said that 'I can't lo'ose to Justin again…' Yeah, that was pretty humiliating, eh?

 **Brick** : *he sighs* The only Toxic Rat member on this season that's _not_ Jo is Anne Maria, and her sportsmanship _sucked!_ What I wouldn't give to be with Sam right now…*he gasps and looks up at the camera, arms flailing* Okay, I didn't mean it like that! Dammit, Topher!

* * *

"Listen, Zeke," Gwen said, once the pair had gotten to a lonely field near the loser cabins, "It's cool you're making friends and all, but we _really_ need to come up with a strategy if we lose, okay?"

Ezekiel sighed. "I guess, eh? Why can't I just have fun and make new friends this season, eh? Only big one I made in Season 1 was yo'ou, ya know?"

"Because, Zeke, you got blindsided by Justin right before the merge, and _I_ got blindsided by Bridgette and some weird animals! Zeke, friendships are great, but in a game like this, you never know _who_ you can trust…"

"So'o yo'ou're saying Brick's a bad influence, eh?"

"No! That's not what I mean at all! Right, here's what I proposed to Duncan: You, me, him, and Cameron are going to be a 4-person alliance, all the way to the merge. Once _that's_ done, Eva will take over…"

"What aboot Duncan and Cameron, eh?"

"They can fend for themselves, _especially_ Duncan. I've seen what he was like when he returned to the game, and you saw it, too…well, second-hand, obviously…"

"Well, what if we lo'ose, eh? We've got some powerful people on o'our team, yeah?"

Gwen sighed. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there, Zeke…"

The airhorn sounded over the loudspeakers, causing it to lose its clarity. " _Good morning, all of you! Meet me at the edge of the forest for today's challenge!_ "

Eva angrily pointed to the spa hotel bed. Zoey sighed and sat down on it.

"What's your problem?" she snapped to the raven-haired jockette.

"You're the problem," Eva replied. Zoey visibly flinched; an Eva that was calm and collected, yet still angry, was more terrifying than an Eva who would cause people's eardrums to blow.

"Can, uh, you elaborate on that? I was standing up…for…"

"Oh, I'll _elaborate_ , asshole. You bringing back those traumatic memories for me last night? That was inexcusable."

Zoey shifted her eyes to the window, where she could see some birds flying past.

The silence in the room was deafening. Eva was the first to break it.

" _Well?_ I'd like something, please! An apology, an excuse, anything! Don't put this in the past, Zoey!"

Zoey looked up at her, horn-rimmed glasses glimmering. "Well, wasn't that _your_ prerogative?"

" _THAT WAS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SITUATION!_ " Eva sighed. "I don't know if you know this, but I was sexually assaulted when I was 9. _9_ , Zoey!"

Zoey blinked up at her. "I…I know, yeah…"

"Did you _seriously_ think to yourself for _one_ instant that your comments could actually cause mental harm to someone?! _Huh?_ Especially someone like me?!"

Zoey looked down, slightly trembling. "No…I didn't…thi—"

"Of _course_ you didn't! You haven't been thinking about _anyone_ but yourself since you got here! You know what? You're my new alliance member. Stick with me, and I'll _show_ you the best way to, uh, do your 'social justice' spiel."

* * *

 **Eva** : The only person that needs to support me is me. No way do I want someone like Zoey twisting my words, warping my experiences, and putting them on a pedestal! That goes for people like Cameron, too! Thank God, she's out of his hair…poor guy.

 **Zoey** : Eva's words got to me…in a different kind of way. *she sighs* Honestly, I need to sit down and have a _really_ long thinking session in order to figure out what I truly believe in…maybe Duncan was right, I _am_ a two-faced liar…

* * *

The loudspeakers crackled out the airhorn and the message. Eva and Zoey sighed, and made their way to the forest's edge.

Chris was there to greet the 11 contestants. "Hel- _lo_ , all of you! Before I start today's challenge rundown, say hello to Justin!"

Chef rolled up on his ATV and shoved Justin off. " _AAAAAAAAAGH!_ "

"He'll be fine, Chris! Guy's pretty beat up and scratched! Barely twitched when I got him onto the boat!" Chef said, rolling away.

Chris groaned. "Alright, a- _nother_ thing! Where's Sierra?! Our challenge helper is getting _pissed_."

* * *

 **Sierra** : *she's sniveling and blowing her nose* _Co-dyyyyyyyyhyhyhy!_ *she repeatedly takes snapshots of her crying face* I need to upload these… _need!_ *she starts pressing buttons on her phone* Service hasn't changed! Ugh, the data out here _sucks!_ *she pulls down the Wifi options button* Wait, ChrisNet? _WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME ABOUT THIS!?_

* * *

Chris sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Right, while Chef's off to get our… _intern_ …I'll discuss the challenge! You 6 will be picking each other off in a nod to the paintball challenge in Season 1!"

Duncan rolled his eyes. "Really? _Great._ "

Eva smirked at him. "Yeah, cuz that was the one where you got your first elimination! _HA!_ "

"Yeah, go, Eva!" Zoey yelled from behind her. Eva whipped around quickly, glaring at her.

"Shut. It."

Zoey gulped and chuckled nervously. "Sorry!"

* * *

 **Zoey** : *she sighs* Yeah, might as well listen to what Eva says…don't want to get kicked off as early as I did last time, right?

* * *

"So, I bet you're asking, ' _nyeeeeeh, where are the paintballs, guns and deer antlers, nyeeeeeh?_ '..."

"Do you _seriously_ have to do that?" Gwen asked, annoyed.

"Hey, shut it! Anywho, due to conditions stated in my parole, I'm _not_ allowed to use those! Too paint-ful!"

Everyone groaned.

"Fine! Party poopers…but anyways, you're going to use _these!_ "

Chris held up a wriggling, damp leech. Everyone, save for Dawn, gagged.

Dawn was looking at the leech in wonder. "Chris…why are you using these? They're semi-innocent animals!"

"Well, I _wanted_ to humiliate you guys more than I already have…" Chris chuckled, putting the leech down. "Also, we really couldn't copy/paste challenges wholesale, so I had to put in a twist!"

The robot beeped.

"Glad you asked, robot!" Chris said. "The goal of the challenge is to make these leeches hit your flesh in any way possible! We want you paler than—"

" _I_ wouldn't finish that if I were you, Chris."

Courtney angrily stalked out of the woods, holding a bucket of leeches.

"Oh, heh, hey! Here's our helper, Courtney!" Chris said, chuckling awkwardly.

" _I'll_ let you know that as leader of the Hispanic Chapter of my local Diversity Club, you shouldn't make _any_ remarks about race!" Courtney said, slamming the bucket down on the ground.

"I'm sorry, what?" Zoey and Chris both asked.

"Chris was _about_ to say pale, as in, fair-skinned," Courtney continued, huffing snootily. "He was _going_ to make the facetious claim that being _white_ is better than being some _other_ race! Weren't you, Chris?"

Chris winced as Courtney's words bounced around his skull. "No…no, I wasn't thinking that! I was going to say 'paler than a vampire victim', but sure, we'll go with your _incorrect_ assumption…"

Duncan had trouble suppressing his laughter. "No wonder you got sent home first!"

"Oh, hello, _Duncan._ I remember you. Weren't _you_ the one who had as good a chance at going home as I did?" Courtney smirked, cradling Duncan's chin in her hand.

"Hey! Get your hands off him!" Zoey snapped at her.

"Ooh, are you _defending_ this punk?" Courtney was over to Zoey in a flash. "I'll have you know that he's a snot-nosed bully! Harold was _so_ hurt by his evil misdeeds!"

* * *

 **Courtney** : No, he really wasn't, but _she_ doesn't need to know that! *she giggles evilly*

* * *

Zoey sighed. "Well, this _is_ reality TV…"

"Exactly!" Courtney said as the Heroes and Villains lined up in front of Chris. "They keep a _lot_ of footage under wraps…"

* * *

 **Courtney** : Stretch the truth a little and people'll do _anything_ you want them to! I might as well go into politics!

* * *

"Alright, so anyways, you're going to want to hit the flesh of anyone out there! Friendly fire _does_ count," Chris said, holding up Courtney's bucket.

"To start, you'll find two boxes further in, one large, and one small. I'll keep it a surprise as to what's in them…but, Villains, since you won yesterday's challenge, you'll have a full-minute head start! Now, _go!_ "

Chris blew the airhorn and 5 villains sprinted into the woods; one trailing behind due to running on his hands.

Chris awkwardly watched the robot leisurely roll into the woods. "Okay, so they've got 55 seconds left…" he said, checking his watch.

The robot leisurely strolled along, looking ahead at Justin running on his hands.

" _Beep._ "

The frontrunner Villainous Vultures, however, reached a fork in the woods.

" _Now_ what?!" Zoey gasped, hands gripping her burning thighs.

Eva licked her finger and checked the air. "I say we go right! It's a 50-50 shot."

"All in favor?" Jo asked to a silent crowd. "Good! Let's go-aah!"

She wobbled slightly as Heather piggybacked on top of her.

" _What_ are you doing?"

"Well, I can't run in _these_ wedges," Heather giggled. "So, I figured, let's have someone strong carry me!"

Jo grinned up at her. "You want someone _strong_ , huh? Well, you ain't seen nothin' yet!"

Eva rolled her eyes and ran ahead of the pack, with Heather and Jo not too far behind.

"Andale, andale!" Heather called, slapping Jo's head.

" _Ow!_ " Jo yelled, rubbing it.

* * *

 **Jo** : Heather's gotten a _lot_ better since yesterday. Huh! Seems like my pep talk paid off!

 **Heather** : Jo's going to be my lackey until we make the merge! With the two of us making a pair-uh- _team!_ Yeah, team! Uh…right! No one will be able to stop us!

 **Jo** : *she chuckles* Yeah, Heather's all over me…I saw her thighs tense up while she rode me! Those were _good_ tensions!

* * *

Justin hurried along behind the other 4, but he noticed Zoey was looking more and more out of breath.

"What's wrong, _kitten?_ " he asked her, catching up quickly.

Zoey gagged and started to speedwalk. " _Keep your disgusting ass away from me!_ "

* * *

 **Justin** : What? With my abilities gone, I _have_ to start forming alliances and friendships with other people! Seems like Eva's got Zoey around her finger…hmmm…

* * *

In the distance, the airhorn sounded again.

" _And the Heroic Hamsters have taken off!_ " Chris said, albeit a little faintly.

Eva grinned as she saw two boxes in the distance. "Aw, yeah! Let's go for that big set!"

Jo purred as she saw Heather's thighs bouncing next to her. "Oh, I think I'm _looking_ at a big set right here!"

Eva pretended she hadn't heard.

The 5 Villainous Vultures soon made it to the big box.

Eva kicked it open. "Huh, come to Mama!"

The team was looking at a cadre of leechball guns, complete with a storage container on top of the guns and a giant leech cannon.

Heather slid off Jo's shoulders. "So, who's up for carrying the cannon?"

Justin raised his hand. "I'll use my gargantuan strength so that you _lovely ladies_ won't get too tired…"

Jo smirked at him. "Nice try, kid! I know _all_ about the crap you pulled in Season 1. Eva, I'll leave this to you!"

* * *

 **Justin** : _Kid?!_ But I just turned 25! *he pulls out a party hat with the number _25_ on it, as well as a noisemaker. He puts the latter in his mouth and blows on it* Hey, with looks like these, I could probably pass as a high school freshman! *he grins sadistically* Hasn't stopped _me_ before…

* * *

Eva, Jo, Heather, and Zoey strapped leechball guns to their backs. Justin smiled, holding a hand out for his.

 _Phwit! Phwit! Phwit!_

Justin screamed loudly as 3 leeches attached themselves to his face. His screams weakened as the leeches inflated, then stopped all together as he collapsed.

"Whoa! Out of the gate, it's 1-0 Heroes! Eva _completely_ swamped Justin for his crazy crap he did in Season 1."

The Heroes cheered, but Courtney rolled her eyes.

"So, dollface, what brings _you_ here?" Duncan scoffed, catching up alongside her.

"Chris told me that if I spent a day or two here, he'd give me a _letter of recommendation…_ " Courtney replied, smirking. "Apparently, surviving on this crappy island makes for great work experience!"

* * *

 **Courtney** : Well, I _never_ told them that I was the first eliminated…and hey! With the news of Chris's arrest going around last year, Wawanakwa's gained some notoriety… _especially_ when I sue them for exposure to toxic chemicals _and_ harming the safety of minors! Hmm, on second thought…maybe a lawyer might be my thing?

* * *

Duncan noticed the fork ahead. He then noticed the robot wheeling off the left-side path.

"Right, that guy's lost…why not make him _more_ lost? To the right!"

The 6 heroes hurried on, Cameron gasping and panting as he did so.

Courtney smirked at Duncan. "Seems like you've been a _little_ more strategic since the first season."

"Seems like you're just as bossy as before, though! Ha! I can't _wait_ to pelt you with leeches!"

Duncan noticed Brick, Cameron, and Ezekiel giving him looks from behind. "What? You would too if you had someone like _her_ riding up your rear for 2 episodes!"

* * *

 **Duncan** : More like after the first challenge! Courts went from 'okay' to 'suck-tacular' in about 22 minutes!

* * *

"There it is! Dead ahead!" Gwen pointed at the villains nearby the large cadre of weaponry.

"Right," Duncan said. "I'll sneak in there, grab what I can, and come back."

Brick saluted. "Aye aye, sir!"

Gwen stopped by the small box. "Uh, right…what's the deal with this?"

Brick wrenched it open. He gasped as he saw slingshots lying in buckets and buckets of leeches.

"Okay, this is low-tech to be sure, but we've got the reloading edge!" he said happily, noticing small holsters next to the buckets. "And we don't even have to take these with us!"

* * *

 **Brick** : Honestly, though, if I could get a gun, I'd be all set to dominate! Learning how to shoot a firearm was one of the first things that I was taught in cadet camp! Add in the fact that my parents were, and still are, rabid gun enthusiasts, and safely using any weapon is number 1 in my skills book!

* * *

Duncan skidded behind the Villains and their cadre of weapons. He swiped the two remaining guns from the shelf and hurried back to the heroes.

" _HEY!_ " Eva shouted, slowly moving the leech cannon along. "That's our stuff!"

"Finders keepers!" Duncan shot back at her, grinning. "I'd say that's retribution for shooting one of your own!"

Justin moaned on the ground, the leeches still stuck to his face. "Ahhh…how… _marvelous…_ "

Eva kicked him in the stomach. "Yeah, _he'll_ be dead weight for sure. Eh!"

Dawn sighed as she picked up a wriggling leech from one of the buckets. "I'll be sure to help you, little ones…"

* * *

 **Dawn** : *she's sitting next to a bucket of leeches* I'll be sure to bring these critters back to their proper habitat! *she leans in a little closer* What's that? You want _what?!_ *three leeches leap out and hook themselves to their face, swelling instantly* _Nature…is…so…_ _ **magical!**_ *she squeaks and collapses to the confessional floor. The loudspeaker blows an airhorn*

 **Chris** : And that's 1-1 all! Hahahaha! Sucks to be you, Dawn!

* * *

The loudspeakers crackled on again. " _Uh, guys? You_ _ **might**_ _want to start getting out of here! The competition already started!_ "

Duncan tossed his gun towards Brick. He smiled happily, but then—

"Thanks, Duncan." Gwen snatched Brick's prize from mid-air.

Duncan gave her a thumbs up. "Anything for you, man."

* * *

 **Dawn** : *she's yelping as she tries to get the leeches off her face* On the bright side, I don't have to compete in this challenge. On the _not_ so bright side, Duncan and Gwen seem to have a…thing…going. Possibly? Their auras feel similar…

* * *

Gwen poised the gun, making sure it was ready for action.

"Uh, okay, how about I'll take the buckets and— _AAAH!_ " Brick yelled, ducking from Jo's assault.

"Take _that,_ Plunger-Head!" Jo smirked, getting ready for another salvo. She high-fived Heather.

* * *

 **Jo** : Huh! That wasn't a terrible zinger for once! Might be because of Heather…huh!

 **Heather** : Jo's _actually_ acting like a team player! That's odd…I need to be on her tail…

* * *

The 6 Heroic Hamsters fled into the woods, dodging Jo and Eva's salvos.

Courtney smirked at the fleeing Duncan. "Take _that,_ traitor!"

Eva looked at her. "You know, it's not 'traitorous' if the entire team hates your guts, right?"

"Oh, shut up!"

* * *

 **Courtney** : Eva's trying to delegitimize my sob story! It's what got me into a prestigious college! …*she looks around* Okay, it's just a local community college! _AAAAGH!_ *she angrily kicks the side of the confessional, causing it to fall over*

* * *

Brick sighed in relief as he saw his buckets were intact. _Good. Now I can at least be a mobile supply station to the team!_

He yelped as he saw leeches fly towards him, dodging behind a tree just in time.

"C'mon out, Brick-nick..um...uhhhh…dammit…Jo! You're the one coming up with the zippy names!" Brick could see Heather looking around warily for her target.

"Aw, don't worry about it, babe! _OOP!_ " Brick chuckled to himself as he saw Jo hurriedly cover her mouth.

"Did you call me what I _think_ you just called me?"

"Uh…yeah, I guess I did…"

Brick smirked as he readied his slingshot. He gave an even bigger smirk as he saw the leech fly square into Heather's calf.

" _OW!_ Get him, Jo!"

"Alright! Time to even the odds!"

Brick ducked as Jo advanced, firing leeches all the while.

" _And the Heroes are leading 2-1! Might want to step it up, Villains!_ "

"HEY! Get yo'our stinking hands off my friend, eh!"

Ezekiel swiped two leeches from his holster and opened fire on Jo. The blonde jockette smirked as she dodged both of Ezekiel's shots.

"HA! You're going to have to try harder than—"

Jo's tirade ended as Brick pegged her with a leech on the nose. "Ah, man!"

"Yes!" Brick yelled in victory, high-fiving Ezekiel. "Good save, partner!"

* * *

 **Brick** : It was a Western joke! You know, 'arrrgh, me mateys…' wait, that's a pirate joke! Gaaaah! Are Topher and Jo's lack of humor rubbing off on me?!

* * *

Brick forcefully pulled Heather's gun from out of her grip. "Stay by me, Zeke…and carry a bucket!"

Ezekiel nodded as the pair went further back into the woods.

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : I do'on't care what Gwen thinks, eh? I _will_ make more friends!

* * *

" _And the Hamsters extend their lead at 3-1! Thanks to Ezekiel and Brick totally trashing Heather and Jo, the Villains offenses are neutered!_ "

Gwen and Duncan skidded to a halt, with Cameron smacking right into the back of the latter. " _OW!_ "

"Hey, you good?" Duncan asked, dusting Cameron off.

Gwen smirked at him slightly. "Wasn't expecting _you_ to treat this guy civilly, after what happened with Harold…"

"Didn't hear that. Anyways, Gwen, in the event that we _might_ lose tonight, who do you want gone?"

Gwen gave it a bit of thought. "Honestly, of the two we've got _not_ in our alliance, I'd say Brick."

Duncan's eyes widened for a moment. "Wait, what?! Why?"

"He's good, Duncan. _Too_ good. He came _this_ close to winning his season, and he's liked by just about everyone!"

"I wouldn't go _that_ far…" Cameron murmured to himself, remembering Anne Maria's comments towards the cadet.

"Anyways, I'll let Zeke know _after_ the challenge," Gwen said. "I need to keep an eye on him anyways…after what Dawn did to him yesterday, I can't keep him to his own devices for too long…"

* * *

Ezekiel and Brick dodged shots from Zoey before retaliating in kind.

"This is fo'or calling me a sexist, eh!" Ezekiel shouted, letting loose a barrage of 5 leeches on the hipster.

Zoey shrieked as the leeches dodged her, but not without leaving some flecks of goo splattering on her clothing. " _That was uncalled for!_ "

"Your attitude is uncalled for, soldier!" Brick shouted, letting loose with his gun.

Zoey yelped as she was bombarded with leeches, some on her face. She collapsed as they swelled up, sucking away her blood.

"Oh, _come on!_ " Eva groaned, letting go of the leech cannon. "Now it's 4-1!"

" _Hahahahahaha! Zoey gets picked off for a 4-1 lead in favor of the Heroic Hamsters! Eva…Robot…might wanna run!_ "

Eva growled at Chris over the loudspeakers. "Oh, it is _on!_ "

She immediately kicked the leech cannon aside and got into position with her gun. Ezekiel got pelted with leeches as he was trying to reload.

"Oh, come _on,_ eh?!" he groaned, before collapsing.

" _Ezekiel is_ _ **down**_ _! 4-2, Villains might be making a comeback!_ " Chris called.

Gwen flinched as she heard those words.

"Oh, God no! _Zeke!_ " she shouted, running back towards the starting area.

"Gwen, _don't!_ " Duncan called, running after her.

Cameron shimmied up a tree and hid there, shivering.

* * *

 **Cameron** : So, I have 3 leeches to use in order to take out the last two Villainous Vultures members. I _really_ hope it doesn't come down to me to win! I've never been in such a pressuring situation before! This is _awesome!_ *he throws his fists up in the air and cheers* Woo!

* * *

Eva grinned as she saw Gwen approaching her fallen boyfriend.

"Sorry, buddy, but I gotta take you down. _FOR THE VILLAINOUS VULTURES!_ "

Gwen screamed as Eva's assault whizzed past her, but one leech got stuck in her hair.

" _HA!_ Hey, Chris, that's a 3rd chump down! Take _that_ , Gwen!"

" _Not her flesh, Eva, so it doesn't count!_ "

Eva growled and started to shoot her gun again. She gasped as she saw it was jammed.

"Oh, _come on!_ "

Brick soon uncovered himself from his tree. He pelted a flurry of leeches at Eva, while Gwen did likewise.

Eva dodged swiftly towards the leech cannon, then pulled the string.

"So long, suckers!"

 _BLOOSH!_

Gwen and Brick groaned as both team members were covered in leeches. Some swelled up, causing them to collapse.

" _And that's 4-4 for the Villains! Eva might be making a stellar comeback!_ "

Duncan facepalmed from his tree cover. " _Gggh! Come on…_ "

* * *

 **Duncan** : Seems like it's up to me _and_ Cameron to finish the job! *he sighs* Don't underestimate Eva!

* * *

Duncan tensed as he heard some rustling nearby him. " _Hello?_ "

A loud _thud_ echoed on his right-side temple. He went down near-instantly.

"That's for voting me off, you _ingrate!_ " Courtney screeched, shoving the delinquent in front of Eva. " _FIRE!_ "

Eva wasted no time pelting Duncan's face full of leeches. He groaned again as they swelled.

" _Ooh, that's 4-5 Villains! Cameron, you_ _ **might**_ _want to watch out…_ "

Cameron yelped to himself and looked around. He gasped happily as he saw a knot in a tree small enough for him.

Within seconds, all that could be seen were his eyes, blinking out for any signs of prey.

* * *

 **Cameron** : *he sighs* so it's all down to me, huh? Hopefully I don't screw things up for the team!

* * *

Cameron gave a small smile to himself as he saw Eva hesitantly walking around, her gun at the ready.

 _Wind speed times air resistance plus large target minus bubble boy strength equals…a lot of pain!_

Cameron launched his leech from his slingshot, smiling as he saw it ricochet off a rock. It then bounced off two trees and beelined straight for Eva's neck from behind.

 _THWUCK!_

" _YES!_ "

Cameron shimmied down the tree and was on the ground in an instant. Eva stared at him, aghast.

"How… _how_ did you…wha…"

" _And Cameron defeats Eva for a 5-5 winner-take-all showdown!_ " Chris said.

Up ahead, Ezekiel and Brick gasped. Courtney brandished Brick's gun, which she had used to take out Duncan.

" _Some_ bubble boy's going to pay…"

* * *

 **Courtney** : Cameron seems like the one who'd kiss me under the guise of a greater plan! I don't trust that guy!

* * *

Cameron took Eva's gun and headed off towards the clearing.

 _I need to see who's left…_

His knees started to shake as he went further and further. His head started to sweat, as did his body.

Cameron was almost ready to take off his hoodie, the tension was so great.

* * *

 **Cameron** : Okay, I was wrong! Tension usually _isn't_ a good thing…*he curls up into a ball and squeaks* _Help!_

* * *

Cameron gasped as he saw his fallen teammates.

"Brick! Ezekiel! Gwen! Duncan! Are you okay?"

Brick had managed to wrench off his and Ezekiel's leeches. "Been better, soldier…but it's up to you now."

Cameron sighed. " _Don't_ remind me."

Ezekiel wearily got to his hands and knees from where he lay. "There's that cannon over there, eh? All that's left is that robot…"

Cameron squeaked as his eyes widened. " _How_ am I going to beat that?! It's all metal!"

"You'll find a way, Cameron…" Brick groaned, handing him a bucket. "I know you will…"

Gwen bolted upright. "Where's Courtney?!"

Cameron scratched his head. "Huh? I didn't see her on my trip over here…"

" _But you'll see her in your dreams, bubble brat! AAAAAAAAH!_ "

Courtney had the butt of Brick's gun poised to strike Cameron as hard as she could.

Brick gasped and immediately sprang into action.

What happened next seemed to be in slow motion.

" _NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…_ " Brick called out in slo-mo as he took the brunt of Courtney's hit, all the while gripping her shoulders with his hands.

" _CAM!_ " he shouted with the remaining strength he had left. "Go, Cam! Take the bucket _and_ the cannon! It's all on you!"

Cameron vigorously nodded, snatched up the bucket, and dumped its contents into the leech cannon. He gulped nervously.

 _It's all up to me now…_

Brick strained against Courtney as Cameron slowly started wheeling the leech cannon back towards the clearing.

"It's all…up to…you…" he moaned, before collapsing on top of Courtney.

The CIT sprang up in a flash, knocking Brick down. Between her gritted teeth and gasps, the only words she had to say were brief and blunt.

" _I'll…take…you…_ _ **out!**_ "

"Oh, I don't think so!"

Jo tackled Courtney to the ground again.

"If anyone's gonna take him out, it'll be the robot! We don't _need_ your stinking help!"

* * *

 **Jo** : What? It's just simple rules! We don't need outside help! That would sully the victory!

 **Heather** : *she gags* Leave it to _Jo_ to decide on what's morally right or not…but, honestly, *she whispers to the camera* _them struggling was kinda hot!_

* * *

Jo growled as Courtney strained to get up.

"You're not getting outta here _that_ easily!" she said, kneeing her opponent in the stomach, causing her to gag. "Help me, Heather!"

"From first voted out of her team to _another_ first voted out of her team, take _this!_ " Heather yelled, elbowing Courtney in the face.

Ezekiel grinned as he saw the three-way duel play out on the dirt and leaves.

Gwen bonked him on the head, lowering his toque over his eyes. "Nice try, Zeke."

* * *

 **Gwen** : From everything I've seen in the Total Drama verse, this is the _last_ thing I ever expected to see…

* * *

Justin crawled up to the contestants and helper on his forearms, grinning wildly.

"Oh, what have we here, hmm? How badly did everyone get hurt?"

Zoey glared at him. "What's it to _you_ , huh, punk?"

"Well, I expected a _little_ better from people strong enough to make it far in the merge, hmm?" Justin smirked, glancing at Eva who had just wearily walked in.

"Wait…aren't _you_ one of those, you stinking hypocrite?" Zoey said, a small fire sparking in her eyes.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm _not…_ " Justin said. "What's it to you, though, huh, useless?"

Eva glared at him. "Don't…don't you dare…"

"Oh, you want to talk _useless_ , huh?" Zoey snapped at him. "Then what's a no-legged, deplorable _bastard_ like you doing on the show, huh?!"

Justin's grin vanished instantly. "You _dare_ insult my parents…"

"Oh, you mean your biological parents that left you on the streets at 10 years of age? Huh, that probably was the _best_ for them, seeing what a monster you turned out to be…"

The only sounds that could be heard were the trees and the chirping of birds.

Justin's eyes flickered. "I'll make you regret saying those words…"

"Just like you'll never regret raping Katie? _And_ Eva, who, might I add, was only 9?!"

Eva's heart leapt to her throat, along with a few lumps. "Wait…wait… _WHAT?!_ "

Zoey flinched, as if she had only heard Eva speak for the first time. "I…uh…oops?"

Justin's grin had returned, although this time, it was even more pronounced. "Ooh, _some_ one made an error they won't get out of…"

Eva was shaking in fear and in rage. Her voice was choked by the lumps in her throat, and her tears started to flow again.

"Is… _is this true?_ "

No response.

" _IS THIS TRUE?!_ "

A similarly choked response gave her the only answer she needed. "Yes…yes it was…"

Gwen was resisting the urge to vomit after saying those words. Ezekiel stared at her, concerned.

Justin was struggling to support himself on his hands. "You know what, fine! No way around it now… _yes, Eva, it was me. And, I gotta say, you were the_ _ **best**_ _9-year-old I'll ever have—_ "

Whatever Justin was going to say was drowned out by Eva's screaming.

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_ "

Cameron winced as he heard the scream carry out across the island.

Chris, at the announcer's booth, shrugged.

Chef, however, was still looking for Sierra. "C'mon, crazy chick! Where are ya?!"

Justin's smile vanished from his face as Eva slammed her fist into it. He clutched his nose with one hand, trying to use the other to defend himself, but to no avail.

" _YOU-MOTHER-FUCKER! I'LL-KILL-THE-SHIT-OUT-OF-YOU!_ " Eva howled, smashing into Justin with each punctuated word. Tears flowed freely from her face, mixed in with the flowing blood from her knuckles and Justin's increasingly damaged face.

Justin's face grew more and more bloody, battered, and bruised with each word and each punch that Eva threw at him. However, his smile had returned.

Eva was shaking now, but this time it was due to pure, unadulterated anger.

" _You're getting off on this, aren't you? You're a disgusting, inhuman, sick fuck. I hope you die and burn in hell where you belong!_ "

Zoey winced, thinking of a certain blue-shirted male who had said similar words to her a year ago.

"Uh, guys? How come Eva's saying the f-word uncensored, eh—OOF!" Ezekiel's question was quickly shut up by Gwen.

He looked at his girlfriend, who rapidly shook her head through her tears.

Even Courtney, Heather, and Jo had to stop and look at the other beatdown which was ensuing before their eyes.

"Uh, don't you think we should join in?" Jo asked, to which the other two vigorously shook their heads.

With one last brutal stomp on Justin's face, Eva collapsed to her knees. Her breathing was ragged and her tears were flowing thick and fast down her face.

" _So, did you enjoy that, Eva? Did you enjoy it, like I did?_

" _ **Did you?**_ "

The last thing Justin said before he passed out temporarily was a laugh. A long, lilting laugh that echoed throughout the island.

Cameron visibly flinched as he heard the laugh, and did so again as he saw what stood right before him.

The robot, seemingly taller and more menacing than ever before, beeped down at him.

* * *

 **Cameron** : I'm a dead man…

* * *

Cameron let loose with his leech gun, gasping as the leeches thwacked against the metal body.

"Uh, Chris? _How_ am I supposed to win here?! His body isn't made of flesh at all!"

The loudspeakers squawked on again. " _You know what, Cameron, you're right! Let's change that…you're free to come out of the robot, buddy!_ "

Cameron yelped and made for the leech cannon, pulling the string to let the leeches fly.

To his relief, he found that the cannon did its job…but only halfway.

Cameron had learned the hard way that one had to pack their leeches into a cannonball form before firing; the ones he shot just dribbled out of the cannon.

"Oh, boy…"

His fear was about to be increased tenfold. He slowly started backing away as the robot's head and body split lengthwise, before opening like automatic doors. Through the steam, Cameron could barely see anything but shadows and robotic parts.

Then, through the darkness, a singular eye opened, looking slightly bloodshot. The simple addition of the latter made the eye's glare all the more terrifying.

Cameron's fears were now fully realized as 3 words emanated from the former robot.

" _I'm back, baby._ "

* * *

 **Mal** : Oh, _finally_ , you have _no_ idea what it was like being in that robot suit for _so_ long…*he gives himself a long sniff* Ugh, the stench won't disappear…I'm glad that Chef gave me the flaps to _relieve_ myself, but…why did he have me kept in there for nearly an _eternity…_

 **Chef** : Hey, be thankful I gave Mal a way to keep his legs up an' runnin'! He had bicycle pedals to move himself around! Ha! Sadly, I couldn't find a way to speed up _that_ process…

* * *

Back in the woods, Justin's eyes snapped awake. He grinned as he felt Mal's evil presence radiating through the air. His sadistic grin widened further.

"Watch out, everyone… _it's your even worse nightmare…_ "

In the infirmary, Dawn woke with a start, her eyes flashing a pale green once again.

" _ **No…**_ "

* * *

 **Dawn** : Mal's back?! _MAL'S BACK!_ *she starts gasping for air before calming down* He _won't_ rule this season with an iron grip! I _will_ get you back, Mike! One way or another, that I promise you!

* * *

" _Hey,_ why so _hesitant?_ " Mal's grin widened as he easily swiped Cameron's gun from his hands.

" _Afraid of hurting your friend, are you?_ "

He grabbed Cameron by his hood, ignoring the choking, coughing, and spluttering sounds that came from him.

"Let's make this interesting, shall we? I think a good execution in front of those you hold so dear… _yes,_ that _will_ be fun…"

Mal cocked the leech gun to Cameron's left temple, holding him tighter with his right hand. He then cackled all the way into the forest.

Justin could barely suppress his laughter. " _He's coming…_ "

Through a thickening fog, Mal stepped out. Everyone (save Duncan and Eva) gasped.

" _Hello, everyone._ Miss me?"

* * *

 **Jo** : For God's sake, _how_ did I not see this coming?! *she muses to herself* Huh! That robot sure was a tricky one…well played!

* * *

"I think it's time we settle some loose ends here, shall we?"

Mal pulled the trigger, letting loose a leech onto Cameron's head. The bubble boy groaned as it swelled, causing him to go limp in the psychopath's grip.

"That's one down…" Mal said, dropping Cameron roughly to the ground. "And one more thing…Justin, I think you know what I'm here for…"

"I think I do…" Justin snickered. "An alliance?"

"Only the very best."

* * *

 **Mal** : It worked _so_ perfectly. Justin _should_ remember me saving his life from the mines one year ago…he owes me one, big time. Well, what do you think? The two biggest villains teaming up to crush the opposition? It's like a dream come true…*he cackles softly, but it increases to a full laugh*

* * *

" _And with a final score of 5-6, Mal takes the win for the Villainous Vultures! Heroes, you've got a_ _ **lot**_ _of thinking to do…_ "

Ezekiel looked at his team. Duncan was still on the ground, unconscious. Brick was sitting feebly on the ground, unsure of what had just transpired. Gwen and Eva were now sobbing wrecks, Cameron was twitching on the ground, and Dawn was who-knows-where.

His legs finally gave out from under him, and he started to hyperventilate.

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : *he's blowing into a paper bag* I can't believe this season, eh?! What the hell's go'oing on here? Why…why is everyone so _cutthroat_? *he clutches his eyes with his hands, choking back tears* Wh…why, eh… _why…_

* * *

Later that afternoon, Duncan woke in the infirmary with a start.

" _WHA!_ Huh, wha… _what happened? I'm coming for you, Courtney!_ "

"She's not here right now…"

Duncan yelped and looked over. His expression changed to worry as he saw Gwen, who was still gulping back tears slightly.

"Whoa…what the heck _happened?_ "

Gwen swallowed the lump growing ever larger in her throat. " _I…Eva knows what Justin did to her at the age of 9…and Mal's back._ "

Duncan's pupils disappeared at those last two words. He collapsed on the infirmary cot, twitching and squeaking.

Gwen facepalmed. " _WHY_ do I go and make everything worse?!"

Chef drove up in his ATV, Sierra chained up in back. "Found this scrawny kid hiding in our cellar! Apparently, she was lookin' for our Wifi password! Ha! As if we'll give _that_ to her…"

" _Chef, this is_ _ **not**_ _the time!_ "

"Trust me, moody chick, I _know_ about Justin and Mal! I'll be sure to keep a _close_ eye on those two…"

And with that, Chef rolled away.

* * *

 **Gwen** : What a screwed-up day it's been…I honestly hope Zeke's doing okay over there…*she sighs* I never wanted him to see this…heck, I _censored_ that 24th episode for him!

* * *

Ezekiel and Brick were in the mess hall again, eating dinner.

"So'o, who are yo'ou votin' for tonight, eh?"

Brick sighed. "Zeke, that's a tough question…especially after today's events."

"If it makes yo'ou feel any better, I'm not voting for yo'ou, eh."

Brick gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Zeke. Glad I can rely on _some_ one around here."

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : I kno'ow Gwen's gonna be super pissed, eh, but I can't vote off my friend like that! I'm so'orry!

* * *

Gwen flung open the loser cabin doors. " _Cameron!_ I need to talk to you!"

A pair of eyes gleamed out from under the bed. " _Please don't hurt me!_ "

"I'm _not,_ Cam…listen, I need to know that I have your trust in tonight's vote…"

" _Gwen, you know you can trust me! I haven't caused any arguments since I got here! Honest!_ "

Gwen sighed and thought for a moment. "I guess, yeah, but I need to make sure…tell you what, if we win the next challenge, I'll let you go to Boney Island to look for that immunity statue. Deal?"

" _Sweet! That_ _ **is**_ _a deal!_ "

Gwen gave a small smile and walked out of the cabin. "Then my work here is done. Oh, and I don't think you'll need to worry about Sierra tonight."

" _Yes! I'm free!_ "

* * *

 **Cameron** : That chance at immunity's a great bargaining chip! Gwen, I didn't think you had it in you!

* * *

Zoey winced as she heard Eva retch for the tenth time that afternoon.

"Hey! Uh…are…are you…okay?"

The bathroom door opened. Zoey could see that Eva looked pale, and a bit of bile was dribbling down her chin.

"Zoey…I…I…we need to sit down. Someplace private."

Zoey took Eva to the girl's bedroom and motioned to an empty bed. Eva sighed as she sank into it.

"Listen, I'm not holding it against you for…letting loose like that, okay? I get it, you hate Justin as much as I do…well, less now, but you know…"

Zoey sighed, looking out the window once again. "I guess, but…he's deplorable!"

"Tell me something I don't know! Listen, I just…my initial assumptions about you were wrong, okay? You're…you're not a terrible human being, alright?"

Zoey's eyes widened, locked on the jockette. "Really?"

"I wouldn't say that, no…just…uh…"

Zoey squeaked slightly as she got into a nearly rib-breaking hug.

"Thanks for looking out for me today, okay? I…I appreciate it."

"N-no problem, _aaah…_ So, now what?"

"Well, there's only one thing we _can_ do: Take out Justin. That's my number one goal right now."

"And as for Mal?"

"I don't know the guy! Honestly, just try to keep on top of him, see what he does. Deal?"

"That's a deal, ma'am!"

Eva looked at her ally. "Yeah, you're not off the hook just yet…you _still_ have some other people you need to apologize to on the other team…"

Zoey looked away again. "Yeah…Cam and Duncan, I know…"

"They only want what's best for you, Zoey. You know that."

"I guess…"

In the spa hotel kitchen, Heather pantomimed puking as Justin and Mal laughed once more and high-fived.

"Oh, my _barf!_ Could those two get _any_ more disgusting?" she asked Courtney and Heather.

"I doubt it…" Courtney said, putting down her violin. "Honestly, I just want to finish being your maestra and get out of here!"

"Well, Chris _did_ say 'end of the day'…" Jo mused, to which Courtney sighed.

"I know…"

"…so, I need _you_ to keep an eye on Zoey," Mal said to Justin in a low voice.

Justin smirked through his bruises and gashes. "Done and done. What about _you?_ "

"Well, I think a _certain_ punk and nature chick's number one on _my_ list…the former should be a high priority on yours, too…"

Justin rubbed his chin. "Yes…sorry, Duncan, but the alliance is _off._ "

Mal grinned devilishly. "Good. As for this team…hey, Jo, do you want to play another game?"

"Oh, _buzz off!_ " Jo said, angrily getting up and exiting the spa hotel. "It's almost time for those heroes to vote someone off anyways! This is going to be _good…_ "

* * *

 **Jo** : Honestly, it's anyone's loss today! Bubble-breath cost them the challenge, Gothball blurted out some deep stuff, Dudcan completely failed…again…and let's not forget about good ol' Brick for Brains there! This'll be good!

* * *

" _Heroic Hamsters, please go down to the voting area…Heroic Hamsters…_ "

Dawn snapped awake from her meditative state. Her face was drenched with sweat.

"This…this won't be good…"

* * *

The 6 Heroic Hamsters sat in front of the crackling fire. Courtney smirked as she held the plate of 5 marshmallows.

"So, what a day it's been!" Chris said. "Before you guys vote, who's going to Bo—"

" _I WILL!_ "

Eva forcefully flung herself off the peanut gallery bench, causing the ground around her to shake.

"I need to cool off a little…gotta find some more… _creative_ (she glared at Justin) ways to get this guy's head separated from his body…"

"Well, _that_ was easy! While Chef's getting you over to Boney Island, it's time for the heroes to vote!"

* * *

 **Gwen** : *she squeaks out who she wants gone and sighs slightly* Once again, I'm sorry, Eva…

 **Ezekiel** : *he's trembling slightly, looking over his photo paper. He finally decides on who he wants* S…so'orry, Gwen, but I can't, eh?! *he shakily makes an X on his paper*

 **Dawn** : Based on the remaining auras…I must vote for Gwen again. She'll understand. *she crosses off Gwen's photo*

 **Cameron** : Well, I _could_ go against the alliance, but at the same time, that immunity's a little _too_ good to pass up…*he crosses off who he wants gone*

 **Duncan** : *his eyes are drifting in and out of focus* Uh, whuh…who're these…*he looks at Cameron's portrait* Righ…uh…you're the _only_ one I can, uh…tell apart…*he draws a sloppy X through his portrait*

 **Brick** : *he's looking through the portraits, rubbing the back of his head nervously*

 **Chris, in the distance** : _Tick tock, Brick!_

 **Brick** : *he groans and hangs his head in shame*

* * *

Chris held up the photo paper. "I've got the results of your votes right here! Gotta say, it was close…

"…Ezekiel…"

Chris swiped the white photo paper aside to reveal Ezekiel's face.

"…Dawn…"

He did the same for Dawn's face.

"…aaand…Duncan!"

He swiped Dawn's face aside, showing Duncan's.

Ezekiel and Dawn looked apprehensively at Courtney. Duncan just made incomprehensible noises.

"Courtney…" Chris said, looking over at her.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, here you go," Courtney said, swatting 3 marshmallows off the plate and onto the ground.

"Uh, yeah, _no_ ," Chris said. "Screw up the last two guys and I guarantee you'll be here all night, playing your violin for the spa hotel guests. Also, kiss that letter of recommendation goodbye."

Courtney angrily sighed and rolled her eyes.

Chris's grimace turned into a grin again. "Anywho, let's keep going!

"…Gwen…"

Chris swiped Duncan's face aside to reveal Gwen's.

"Aaaand…tonight's unlucky loser is…"

Gwen looked forlornly at her marshmallow.

Courtney glared at the remaining two.

Mal just chuckled to himself.

"… _Brick!_ "

Chris finally swiped Gwen's photo aside to show Brick's crossed out with a red X.

"Looks like your tour of duty's come to an end! Dis- _missed!_ "

Brick sighed as Cameron caught the final marshmallow. "But…I did what I could to help the team!"

"That's debatable…" Gwen said, albeit quietly.

"Brick!" Chris said, motioning to the Flush of Shame. "Your ride awaits!"

The camera transitioned to Brick bobbing in the toilet water.

"Hey, Bricky-Pants! Good to see you one last time!"

Brick sighed and looked down. "Oh, hey, Jo, glad to see me getting kicked while I'm down one last time?"

"Nah, are you kidding! There's _way_ too much crap going on this island! Just consider yourself lucky you're outta here! Now _you_ can avoid that stuff! Ha!"

Brick gave a small smile. "You know what? You're right!"

He pulled the pin off his shirt. "Hey, Jo! You said you were thinking about coming out of the closet, right? Then take this!"

Jo caught the pride pin and stared at it. "You know, thanks, buddy! Sorry we didn't feud as much this season…"

"Are you kidding! With everything _else_ going on here, this fight would've been child's play!"

Chris yawned. "Booo- _ring!_ "

Brick gave Jo a salute. "Right, then, it's time for me to go! Fare _-weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll…._ "

Chris sighed happily as Brick disappeared. "And that's another hero biting the dust!"

* * *

 **Heather and Jo** :

 **Jo** : Honestly, I'm kinda flattered Brick left me this…*she holds up the pin and shows it to Heather*

 **Heather** : Aww, that's actually kinda adorable for once!

 **Jo** : I know, right? But, you know what? It meshes _really_ badly with my tracksuit, so…here, take it! It matches your clothing…at least a little…

*Jo hands Heather the pin. She attaches it to herself*

 **Heather** : You know what? You're _right!_ This _does_ look good on m—

*Anything Heather was trying to say is drowned out as Jo kisses her fiercely on the lips. She lets go, smirking, while Heather is panting and blushing a little bit*

 **Jo** : There you go! Got yourself an ally! And _maybe_ a girlfriend…how do ya like that, Heather?

 **Heather** : *she's still blushing and panting, but is visibly smiling*

* * *

Ezekiel was heading up to the loser cabins. He didn't notice that a hand was reaching out from a bush before it yanked him by his hood.

" _AAAH!_ What's the deal, eh?"

" _Sssssh!_ " Dawn hissed at him. "I need to talk to you…can we take this to the beach?"

Chris smirked as he saw the pair leave for the beachfront. "Will Dawn finally figure out what her deal is? Will Ezekiel get wooed by her strange charms? Will Heather and Jo finally go all the way? Will Justin and Mal make for the best or the worst alliance in the show? We'll find out on the next episode of Total…Drama…Heroes vs. Villains!"

* * *

(AN: First things first, I gotta apologize. Firstly, sorry to anyone who might have issues involving sexual assault and other things like that. I needed to get this plot underway for reasons you'll see in the next episode.

Next, to those who wanted Justin to be plain elimination fodder: this is why I kept him in. Him/Mal alliance was something I had planned from the start if this season were to be a thing. Kinda like the Mal/Al alliance that never was. Don't worry, this one will go somewhere...

Next, sorry to any Brick fans out there, in which there were several. He couldn't go any further in the plot I have laid out. I hope you understand. Hey, if you want a Brick vs. Mal storyline, there's this one guy named xebla who's still working on a "Total Drama All-Stars Remake". Not _exactly_ my cup of tea (some parts are just "eh" to me) but I think you'll at least get _something_ out of this fic and I highly recommend you check it out!

Fourth, sorry that this chapter is, once again, extremely long. I think this'll become a trend…

Lastly, and this is _not_ an apology, but I bet you're wondering: 'who on the heroes voted for who?' Well, let's get that going!

Gwen – Brick

Cameron – Brick (mainly for Boney Island immunity reasons)

Ezekiel – Dawn (this _will_ come up in the next chapter, I promise!)

Duncan – Cameron (would have voted Brick if he were more conscious and coherent; as he was, Cameron's different skin color made him stick out)

Dawn – Gwen

Brick – Duncan (very reluctantly; he felt that Duncan and Gwen were a threat and that the former acted less in his moral code, like when he taunted Courtney pre-challenge)

So, I think that takes care of that hopefully!)

Heroic Hamsters: Cameron, Dawn, Duncan, Ezekiel, Gwen

Villainous Vultures: Eva, Heather, Jo, Justin, Mal, Zoey

14th: Anne Maria

13th: Cody (quit)

12th: Brick

Next Up: Food Fright (oh, _god,_ my personal most-hated canon All-Stars episode…what they did to Sam was criminal. Note I said _hated_ : stuff like Sundae Muddy Sundae and The Final Wreckening are objectively worse.)


	4. Food Fright

(AN: Time to get going with my most hated All-Stars episode. Oh, _God…_ )

* * *

 **Chris** : Last time on Total Drama: Heroes vs. Villains, the teams had a leechball smackdown that was sure to last for the ages! The competition got picked off one by one, but Eva helped the Villainous Vultures make a surprising comeback! However, quite a few bombshells occurred! Brick tried to lead but failed, Mal made a surprising return and clinched the win, Eva finally found out the horrible truth with Justin and Jo may or may not have won over Heather's heart! In the end, Brick got the Flush of Shame, which kinda sucks! Hahaha, we're down to 11, and it's going to get _nasty!_ Here on Total…Drama…Heroes vs. Villains!

*cue the theme song*

Episode 4: Food Fright

* * *

The beachfront was quiet, save for some waves lapping up against the shoreline.

Dawn was looking up at the stars on her meditation rock, eyes glittering. Ezekiel was sitting next to her, looking confused.

"So, uh, what's yo'our deal, eh? I'm glad yo'ou kept away from me, but Gwen's gotten really parano'oid, ya know?"

Dawn grabbed Ezekiel's wrist. "I'm here to talk to you about that, but first…I need to further inspect your aura…it seems more troubled than it was yesterday…"

Ezekiel sighed and slumped forwards. "I guess yo'ou're right, eh? I just…I don't kno'ow what's going on anymo'ore…"

"Yes, yes…I see…I see…yes, it seems like you're wracked with confusion, guilt and, hmm…annoyance?"

Ezekiel sighed. "I, uh…I voted for ya, eh…I couldn't go with Gwen's idea…"

Dawn pursed her lip. "Well, I'm not holding it against you…she wanted Brick gone, and so did Cameron…you've got your own ways of thinking, Zeke.

"Considering what's ahead for us, I feel like it's crucial to have skills like yours…"

"For us, eh? I do'on't understand…"

"Listen to me, and listen carefully. Mal is dangerous. _Extremely_ dangerous. Even I don't know what he's fully capable of, and that's me saying that _after_ he dropped me down that cliff… (Dawn motioned to the Wawanakwa hill behind them) …and nearly killed me!"

"Yo'ou're still here though, eh?"

Dawn sighed. "I know…but the odd thing was, that drop…I think it freed some things that were lost to me years ago…"

Ezekiel looked up at her. "Like what, eh?"

"Repressed memories from my childhood, I'd reckon…I barely remember anything before I was taken in by Laurie and Miles…they've been so good to me…"

"Wait, is that why Brick looked so wo'orried last night, eh?"

Dawn gasped. "Wait, _how_ did you know?"

"Farmer's clock…light sleep at best, eh? I heard him but didn't want to wake anyone else up, ya know?"

Dawn sighed. "I understand. You didn't want to cause more of a disturbance, especially with Gwen…

"But enough about the past! Right now, I need you to help me…"

Dawn was looking up at the stars, which were twinkling in her glassy eyes. She was in her meditating pose once again.

"I've been trying to bring something that I've apparently kept repressed out into the open. I need you to bring me back to reality if something weird happens.

"Do I have your word?"

Ezekiel gulped. "Sure, eh? How bad co'ould it be?"

"Thank you…" Dawn took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Here I…go…"

She closed her eyes. All Ezekiel could hear for the next 20 seconds were the waves splashing onto the shore.

"Mmmm… _mmmmmmm…_ "

Ezekiel looked over. Dawn's eyes were clenched shut, her face starting to twitch.

"Uh, okay, I-I think I'm go'onna stop this now, eh-"

But any effort Ezekiel might have put out was for naught. A powerful green shockwave emanated from Dawn, knocking the homeschool off his feet.

Dawn's eyes opened, glowing pale green once again. Ezekiel was terrified, yet entranced.

 _Is this the same thing she did to me earlier this season, eh?_

As they did yesterday, the smaller rocks surrounding Dawn gained a pale green outline and started hovering into the air.

Dawn herself, however, spoke.

" _I know you're out there, Mal._ "

Fear struck the core of Ezekiel's body. _What the heck's she go'oing on aboot, eh?!_

Dawn's eyes glowed an ever brighter pale green. Ezekiel continued to back away, feeling the same pale green sensation permeating his brain.

 _Is this mind contro'ol, eh?!_

Ezekiel, with his last remaining bits of sanity, swiftly backed up on his hands and feet, walking similar to a crab. He noticed that the further he went, the clearer his mind became.

 _That…that was…she_ _ **really**_ _hates this Mal guy, eh?_

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : What a night _that_ was, eh?! *he groans* Gwen's go'onna hate me even mo'ore…

* * *

Jo whistled from the hot tub as she saw a green light quickly flash across the sky.

"Huh! Wonder what _that_ was?" she said to Heather, who was right beside her.

Heather smirked. "Honestly, if it's something like a Killing Curse, I'll be _more_ than happy with it!"

Justin, his face bandaged, started to hand-walk down the stairs. "Uh…Aurora Bo- _AAAAAAAAGH!_ "

He yelped loudly as Zoey shoved him down the stairs, moaning with each bounce off the hard steps.

"Nnngghhh… _WHY?!_ " he moaned, twitching in pain.

"Because _you're_ a disgusting piece of shit and you deserve to die!" Zoey snapped at him, bouncing down the stairs and stomping hard on his broken legs.

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!_ "

" _Hey._ I'd like it if you kept your feet off my lackey…"

Mal had opened the men's bedroom door, decked in his swimsuit and shirt.

"What's it to you, _Mal?_ " Zoey's words hissed venom as he slowly walked down the stairs.

"What's it to me? How about this? Keep out of his way and I'll see about becoming that _trans_ person you love so much. Hmm? How's that sound?"

Zoey's mouth moved, but all that came out were choking and spluttering sounds.

Mal grinned. He had finally found her weakness.

* * *

 **Mal** : Well, _Zoey_ doesn't know, but ever since that incident in the mines, I haven't been able to bring _anyone_ out…heheheh…means magical Mike's down and out for the count, which is good for me…

* * *

"Anyways, where _was_ I? Oh, yes…ladies…" Mal murmured, taking off his shirt and stepping into the hot tub. "May I join you?"

Jo quirked an eyebrow as Mal stepped in anyways. "Okay, uh, _where's_ Vito? He normally comes when you take that shirt off, doesn't he?"

Mal gave a small smirk. "I'm afraid he's content in my mind at the moment…yes, having _full_ autonomous control of my mind is such a load off my… _Mike's_ back…"

"Honestly, with _your_ issues, might as well call you Mal- _ware!_ " Jo chuckled, nudging Heather in the elbow. "Huh? _Huh?_ "

Heather rolled her eyes angrily, but Jo noticed that her love interest was failing to hide her smirk.

* * *

 **Heather** : _What?!_ It was _kind_ of funny! Listen, Jo and I are together for _purely_ strategical reasons! I don't have the hots for her! That kiss was for ratings!

* * *

Mal sighed and wiggled his toes in the warm water. "It's been _so_ long since I've felt water as warm as this…how _exquisite._ "

Justin moaned from his predicament. "Speak for yourself…I'd _love_ to have my legs be soothed and pampered, just like at home!"

Mal sighed and rolled his eyes at Heather and Jo. Both females shot him half-glares.

"Uh, can you get _off_ me?" Justin asked, as Zoey ground her foot into his broken leg.

"Nope! Gotta do this for Eva, you scum! Speaking of which, I wonder how she's doing…"

* * *

Eva glared at the Wawanakwa shoreline as she saw the shockwave pulse out.

"Huh. Wonder what _that's_ all about…" she murmured to herself before focusing back on her task at hand.

 _C'mon, wildlife, where_ _ **are**_ _you?_

A small growl came from her right side. Eva glanced over and saw a bear glaring at her, ready to strike. A small smile came to her face.

" _Excellent._ "

* * *

In the loser cabins, a certain delinquent was tossing and turning in bed.

Duncan grunted and groaned as images flashed through his head.

Mal's grinning face leading to laughing…

…the screams and yells of the juvenile prison as Mal and his cronies spread their havoc…

…Chef twitching and groaning on the ground, his face drenched in blood, the scared preteen holding a pocketknife and shaking…

…the severed woman's head bouncing towards him, causing him to look up at Mal, who was grinning, pocketknife in hand…

…" _You have failed me, lackey…_ "

Duncan yelped awake, sweating and panting. "Oh, _God…_ "

"Oh, can it and go back to sleep."

Duncan held in his second yell; it came out as a squeak instead. " _Gwen?_ "

"Yeah, yeah, I bet you're wondering why I'm still awake. Let's just say that a certain homeschooled kid has a _lot_ of explaining to do…"

Duncan sighed. "Seriously? You're _still_ on him for that?"

"I don't know what Dawn's injecting into his head, Duncan!"

"Then why don't you go down there and see what the deal is?"

Gwen angrily sat up in her bunk. "You know what? Why not?"

Duncan sighed as Gwen put on her slippers and stormed out of the loser cabins. He looked over at Cameron, who was still sound asleep.

 _Kudos to you, dude. Good on you for staying **out** of the drama. _

With that slightly comforting thought entering his brain, Duncan finally fell back asleep.

Gwen hurried down to the beach, glaring at her homeschooled boyfriend. He had a lot of explaining to do.

" _Alright, Zeke, that's en-_ "

" _GWEN! LOOK OUT, EH!_ "

Gwen turned to where Ezekiel was pointing. She gasped.

Dawn was floating in the air, the rocks gleaming around her. All she emitted were some deep breaths.

"Okay, _this_ is too weird…" Gwen said, before snatching Ezekiel up. "You're coming back with me. Capiche?"

"No, Gwen! She's not right, eh? I gotta help her! _I promised!_ "

Gwen dropped Ezekiel roughly onto the ground. "Listen to me and listen good. She's weird. _Too_ weird. I've seen the crap she got up to in Season 2, and she is _not_ a good influence for you. Got it?!"

"But what aboot Brick, eh? You didn't complain much with him!"

"Brick's _normal,_ Zeke…and besides, he's gone! He was a threat, you know that!"

Ezekiel angrily stood up and dusted himself off. "Alright, that's it, eh! I'm go'oing back to help her, because I made a promise and that's _that, eh!_ "

Gwen fumed silently as Ezekiel sprinted back towards the beach. Then, the fuming changed into a frown.

 _Oh, dammit, look at me. I've_ _ **really**_ _been a jerk towards him lately and he hasn't deserved it!_

* * *

 **Gwen** : Tough love, it's _usually_ good at solving life's problems! That, or, well, it makes things worse…

* * *

Ezekiel edged up to Dawn, who was still floating in the air. Her breath had become raspier than ever.

"Uh, Dawn? What's the deal, eh?"

He started to look around to find a way to help Dawn down, but he didn't need to.

With a faint _thud_ , Gwen threw a rock into Dawn's back, breaking her concentration and sending her plummeting.

"Gwen! _Why, eh?!_ " Ezekiel cried out, catching the aura whisperer just in time. He flinched as the rocks fell all around him.

Gwen sighed. "You know, Zeke, do what you want, okay? She's weird, but she's our teammate…I'll bring her back."

Ezekiel sighed sadly as Gwen picked Dawn up and carried her back to the cabins. He mournfully followed.

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : If I co'ould get a look into her brain, I wonder what I'd see, eh?

* * *

In a wooded part of the island, near Chris and Chef's place, a certain intern was snoring away. Chef had taken the liberty of tying up Sierra in heavy chains, to ensure she wouldn't shirk her duties, as well as frighten Cameron, again.

Sierra inhaled, making the snoring sound that several other TV shows made. However, her exhalation was interrupted by an acorn hitting her upside the head.

" _OW!_ Why, If I were…more…awake…I'd…" and just like that, Sierra was back into dreamland once again.

The squirrel above her giggled and threw another acorn at her.

" _OW!_ Ohhh…never…mind…"

Chef slammed his fist down next to the phone.

"C'mon, ma'am! Cameron's been faring pretty well for himself this season!"

Unintelligible shouts sounded on the other line. Chef just groaned.

"Listen, I can't pull him out of the competition now! It's gonna be the 4th day in a li'l bit! Give 'im time!"

More unintelligible noises sounded.

"Yes, I know, 'Cammy-bear' needs his safety and his bubble, but have you _ever_ considered that maybe, just maybe, he signed up to the show to prove to himself that he can survive?!"

A brief silence followed. The noises on the other end were calmer now.

"Yes, exactly! You've seen Season 2 of the show, and you've _especially_ seen that kid's confessionals! Tell you what; give us a week…if he hasn't improved by then, then fine, we'll bring him back to you!"

One more bout of noises came from the other line.

"Exactly, thank you, ma'am! Take care now."

Chris sighed and sat up on the bed. "What was _that_ all about?!"

"Cam's momma's been all over my butt tonight…going 'he's my widdwe Cammy-bear, I gotta keep him safe!' Blah, blah, blah! Listen! If he's scorin' near the bottom of the pack after the 7th episode, he's goin'!"

"For safety reasons?"

"Yeah, sure, say what you want about that…I'll have to let the producers know…"

"Hopefully you can wrap _that_ up soon. I'm missing my time with Chef!"

Night soon turned into a beautiful early sunrise. Chef was out on the Boney Island boat, getting Eva.

"Alright, Eva, it's time to… _wha' the…_ "

Chef's mouth was wide open as he saw the scene in front of him.

Eva was standing on the shoreline, droplets of blood splattering her face and clothes. Behind her, the dazzling orange sun acted as a fiery backdrop, illuminating the unconscious bodies of what seemed to be endless bears, as well as Sasquatchinakwa, moaning in pain.

"Hey, uh…you good?" Chef asked Eva.

" _Let's go._ "

With a high-pitched _honk_ , Eva was on her way back to Wawanakwa.

Before too long, the Heroic Hamsters were rapping on the mess hall door.

"Alright, Chef, or Sierra, come _on!_ " Duncan yelled, slamming the screen door harder. " _We're hungry!_ "

A series of loud _clangs_ and _clatters_ sounded from the back.

"Okay, wise guy! I'm coming in!"

Duncan kicked the door so forcefully, it snapped off its hinges. He skulked over to the counter and slammed his crossed forearms down on it.

"Right, I need my grub, _Warden!_ I'm famished!"

" _Who is zis Wahrden?_ "

The rest of the Hamsters arrived at the counter. Gwen peeked behind the counter.

"Alright, Owen, get out of there," she sighed. "What, did Chris and Chef send you here to help with today's challenge?"

Owen looked puzzled. "Owen ist not here! Zis…zis is…Rudolph! Da! Rudolph the German Yokel!"

"You mean yodeler?" Cameron asked inquisitively.

"Nein! _Nein!_ " Owen bolted upright this time. The Hamsters could see that he was wearing an obviously fake goatee and had in fake long extensions. "Chef und Chris brought me here to, uh…sample their bratwurst!"

Duncan facepalmed. "Dude, just give us our breakfast or I'll pound your face in. How's _that_ sound?"

"Rudolph" screamed. " _NEIN! NEIN! ANDALE! ANDELA! ADIOS, MEIN AMIES!_ "

With that, Owen scampered off as quickly as he could. Gwen could see that he left some old socks and unidentified sludge behind.

"Oh, _great_ , I see what he's doing…" she groaned.

The Hamsters left the kitchen area, not knowing that a certain coconut had been left behind in the process and was now rising up from the sludgy depths…

…until Owen came running right back. "Oh! Mr. Coconut! I was _wondering_ where you went! Why'd you stay with Rudolph, huh? Hahahahaha!"

With that, Owen left, continuously kissing his dirty coconut lover.

Shortly afterwards, the air horn sounded. " _Good morning, hungry hungry campers! Meet me by the mud pit from Season 1's extreme sports challenge!_ "

The 5 villains trudged out of the spa hotel, grumbling for something to eat. Well, all save Mal.

Mal was still grinning as devilishly as ever.

* * *

 **Mal** : Being in juvie, one learns quickly that it's a dog-eat-dog world out there…*he chuckles* my favorite. I've learned to survive, no, _thrive_ , in such situations…how do you think Mike's remained so skinny?

* * *

The 10 contestants arrived at the mud pit, where Eva, Chris, and Chef were waiting for them. The latter two were reclining in lawn chairs, with two more reserved for Owen and Mr. Coconut.

"Greetings, everyone!" Chris said, holding up his martini. "Welcome to breakfast!"

The contestants looked up at where Chris was pointing. Owen was finishing up the breakfasts, which were laid out in segments, followed by obstacles.

"Today, we decided to combine the gross food eating challenge from Season 1 with the relay race from Season 2! Obviously, with a few twists, but I digress!

"5 of you will be on that obstacle course, meaning one member of the Villainous Vultures will sit out. Each pair will eat their disgusting course and try not to hurl it back up! Seriously, do that, and you're _benched!_ "

Chris pointed to a bench far away from the course.

"However, you _have_ to finish eating the course; the rest of the contestants' courses are hidden until that plate is licked down to the last morsel!

"So, to make things easier on you, when the Heroes have finished eating, they'll hear this…"

An angelic choir sounded from the loudspeaker above the first course.

"…and the Villains will hear _this…_ "

A throaty squawk sounded from the Villains first course.

"That signals that the first contestants has finished their meal and the next one is ready to start eating. However, as it usually is with this show, there's _always_ a catch!

"Hidden somewhere in that food pile is part of a relay baton. You'll have to fish it out and bring it along with you to the next person in line! Drop the baton along the way, you gotta bring it out and start over. Drop _yourself_ along the way, and, well…you get the idea!

"And lastly, since the Villains won the last challenge, they'll be having smaller courses! Easier to digest, and much less fun!"

Everyone groaned, save for Mal. His grin just widened even more.

"So, _tell me,_ Chris, what _are_ these _wonderful_ obstacles we'll be facing today?"

"Glad you asked, Mal, because I'll be the one divvying you guys up into individual segments! You and Duncan will be going down the Retch-ed Rolling Pins! Pretty disgusting, right?"

Chris then motioned to the next section, which contained of two long planks of wood crossing over a bed of cannons.

"Here, Dawn and Heather will be duking it out over the Cannons of Calamity! Trust me, these'll have your stomachs churning like _nothing_ else…"

Chris then motioned to the third section, which consisted of several circular sections joined together to create a cylinder, but each section was spinning in opposite directions. One was parallel to another, to accommodate each team's contestants.

"Here's the Dizzy Gut Upchuck! Good luck getting through _here_ , Gwen and Jo, hahahaha!"

The next section was a series of red lumps bouncing up and down in succession. They, like the previous section, came in tandem.

"Next, Justin and Ezekiel will be facing off against each other in the Bouncy Butts of Doom! Trust me, if the food won't come out _that_ end, it'll come out somewhere!"

Gwen glared at Justin. Justin deviously grinned at her.

"…and that leaves Eva and Cameron to take on the major kick into the Twister Zone! Fashioned after a toilet, it'll be a feeling similar to getting flushed! Which, not-so-coincidentally, one of you _will_ be doing tonight…"

Chris finally motioned to the dock next to the spinner, which was adorned with two docking stations: one gold and one red.

"When either one of the last members has put together their completed relay baton, stick it in there! First team to have their baton in the docking area, causing it to light up, wins immunity! Losers _will_ be sending one of their own home."

Zoey stared incredulously, then gasped. "Wait! Does that mean—"

"Oh, no, slow down there, Zoey! You might not be competing, but you'll be helping out with Chef today!"

Chef grinned at her and nudged his face over towards Owen. The latter gave him a quizzical look.

"Uh, Chef? Why are you looking at me like- _Ohhhhhhhhhhh…_ "

* * *

 **Owen** : So, Chris and Chef want me to stir up the upchucks by having me eat a giant feast of normal, yet gross, things! Hey, it's a win-win for me! Even if no one pukes, I'll get a free meal out of it! Woo- _hoo!_

* * *

"So, we clear? Any questions?" Chris asked to the 5 once they had reached their spots.

"Uh, yeah, Chris, _several_ ," Duncan replied.

"None? Good! Now _go!_ " Chris said, blowing his airhorn.

Duncan stared at his dish. It was bubbling, brown, and burnt.

"Okay, what _is_ this?" he groaned.

"That," Chris said, "is Chef's special 'prison warden puree'! I'm sure both of you remember it from your stint in juvie!"

Mal was voraciously digging into his own meal. His cheeks bulged out slightly.

"I thought this was spaghetti Bolognese, but _God_ , I was wrong…" he moaned.

"Nope! That's Owen's specialty! Earthworm spaghetti with dandruff cheese and some chunky nosebleed/booger spaghetti sauce!"

Mal's eyes widened as his cheeks bulged out further.

 _Oh, God no…_

Duncan laughed and started shoveling his own dish into his mouth. He gagged slightly, but was able to keep it down.

* * *

 **Duncan** : Time in juvie wasn't _so_ bad once Mal left…okay, it was heaven!

* * *

Duncan's next bite revealed a part of what would be a golden neon light. He wrenched it out of his dish and scarfed the rest down.

"And Duncan's gotten the early lead! Dawn, you can start eating now!" Chris said, as the heroic choir sounded.

Dawn looked down as her dish slid up from a compartment below. "Oh, _no…_ "

On her plate was some rancid venison, rotten bacon, and a green, fuzzy bunny leg.

"Yup!" Chris said, laughing. "Good luck!"

* * *

 **Dawn** : I can't eat that! It goes against _everything_ I stand for! *she sniffs, a tear coming to her eye* I'm…I'm so, so, _sorry!_

* * *

Dawn winced as she moved the pieces of bacon around. She gasped as she found her portion of the relay baton hidden in it.

"Yes! Chris, may I go to the challenge now?"

"Nope! Gotta eat what's in front of you, sorry!"

Dawn shivered and gingerly put a piece of bacon to her mouth.

One bite later, Dawn was hurling onto the ground, causing Chris and Chef to laugh as hard as they could.

"Sorry, Dawn, but you've gotta go to the bench!" Chris said, pointing at it. Dawn sighed, floated/hopped down to the ground from her perch, and walked over.

Duncan facepalmed as he crossed the rolling pins. " _Now_ what?!"

"Simple! You gotta eat Dawn's dish _and_ do her challenge! If you puke, you gotta pass it down to Gwen _and_ your team'll face a two-minute penalty!"

Duncan groaned. "Great, glad to see you've got an answer for _every_ loophole…"

A throaty squawk sounded from behind him. Duncan jumped slightly.

 _No time to waste! He's coming!_

Duncan, however, didn't have to worry. With a whirling sound coming towards her, Heather caught Mal's thrown relay baton.

"Uh, ex- _cuse_ me, you have a—" she started to say, before she gasped. Shortly afterwards, Heather covered her mouth cheeks bulging out.

Mal had intentionally stuck a finger down his throat to puke all over his platform.

"Well, looks like Mal's done!" Chris said, as he hopped off the course and casually strolled over to the bench. "If any other villain pukes, you'll be starting your penalty time, too!"

Owen smiled as he saw Zoey come up to him, carrying a massive bowl of spaghetti Bolognese. "Mmm, that looks _delicious!_ "

"Yeah, whatever, take it," Zoey said, passing it to him. Chris smirked at her.

"Where's your 'cis white male scum' bit, huh? _Huh?_ " he taunted.

"Oh, _shut it!_ " Zoey snapped at him.

* * *

 **Zoey** : Being on the same team as Mal, well, that'll put a damper on _anyone's_ spirits when it comes to championing for what is good and right in the world…no, I'm not changing into a better person! Ugh!

* * *

Heather gagged again as her dish came up. It was a pile of greenish glop, which covered her plate.

"While Do-Gooder Duncan's scarfing down his second course, Queen Bee Heather's found her own personal hell: 2-year-old barf from her adventures with Gwen's diary!

* * *

 **Heather** : Oh, _I_ get it, Chris…we get the smaller dishes, but they're more disgusting to compensate! *she haughtily sniffs* Smooth. _Very_ smooth.

* * *

Heather gingerly picked up a bit of the concoction and nibbled on it. Her cheeks puffed out again and she gagged.

"Ha- _ha!_ Take _that,_ sister!" Duncan cackled, as he finished his meal and picked up the second piece of the relay baton, attaching it to the first.

"And Duncan's starting on the Cannons of Calamity!" Chris said over the angelic choir, looking at Heather. " _Might_ want to speed it up there, huh?"

"Oh…*ulk*… _shut…_ *ack*… _ **it!**_ " Heather groaned, slowly eating her dish, one disgusting nosh at a time.

"Uh, Chris, is that _actually…_ " Owen started to say.

"Nah, it's just the grimy gunk from the garbage can, but _she_ doesn't have to know that…" Chris said happily.

* * *

 **Owen** : I dunno how well I'd do in a challenge like this! I mean, eating's great! Eating this junk? No way!

* * *

"Aww, look at Duncan, pretending to be all _macho_ and _deadly…_ " Mal hissed to Dawn on the bench. "He _so_ wishes he could be me right now…"

Dawn was still choking and spluttering slightly. "Please… _please_ go away…"

"Aww, but don't you want to _see_ Mike, hmm? Tell you what: I'll let you get a good look at him if you promise to stay out of my way throughout this competition…"

Dawn glared at him. "I don't believe that, _Mal_. The only aura I see in there is yours. No one else's."

"Oh, _really?_ Then why have I been able to do _this?_ "

Mal strained his brain as hard as he could. His facial muscles contorted. Dawn wasn't impressed.

"Don't trick me, I know that you're _trying_ to bring someone out, but it won't work!"

Mal stopped his charade, glaring at her. "Fine. Party pooper."

* * *

 **Mal** : New plan of action, throw Dawn's game off and ensure that she'll _never_ stand in my way again.

* * *

Heather picked up her relay baton and attached it to the first one. She then finished taking her last few bites of her food.

"And Heather's off to the races!" Chris called atop the squawking noise. "Gwen and Jo, you _might_ want to get ready!"

Gwen gagged as she saw her meal rise up. Jo smirked as she saw hers.

"Looks like a foot fungus! Nice job, Chris!" Jo immediately started to scarf down her dish.

Gwen held her nose. "Chris, what _is_ this? Rotten…turtle soup?! Duck heart! Wait… _guinea pig head?!_ "

"Yeah! Let's say those furry animal friends are toast, Gwen!" Chris chuckled, clinking his glass against Chef's. "Consider yourself lucky! You _won't_ be going insane again!"

* * *

 **Gwen** : Screw you, Chris! Trust me, if we win tonight, I _will_ be going back to Boney Island to see if he's telling the truth or not!

* * *

Gwen continually held her nose, slowly eating the disgusting trio of food in front of her.

Jo, on the other hand, had already put in her last bite and picked up her baton piece. She smirked as she heard the squawking sound above her.

"C'mon, babe, you can do it!" she called to Heather, who was doing her best to dodge the cannons.

"Don't- _AAH!_ -call- _yikes!_ -me-oof!-that!" Heather cried out, dodging all but one cannonball, which hit her squarely in the leg.

"Ooh, that's gotta _smart!_ " Chris chuckled, as did Duncan.

"How's it feel to _suck_ so much?" he said, before a cannonball hit him square in the crotch.

" _Aaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaa…_ " he moaned, collapsing to his knees, head slumped forward. Two more cannonballs pegged him in the stomach and the face.

Mal nearly fell over laughing. Dawn just stared at him.

"This isn't like you."

"Oh, I _know,_ let's just say a _little_ of Mike's cheerful personality… _leaked_ into me…"

Dawn raised an eyebrow. "Ex- _cuse_ me?"

"Oh, sure, sure, I _could_ be lying…but could the Mal of yesteryear do _this?_ "

Mal sprung off the bench, somersaulted 5 times in the air, and finished with a handstand, before flipping back up and bowing.

"Oh, thank you, _thank you_ , you're too kind…" he chuckled.

* * *

 **Dawn** : Okay, Mal _could_ be playing me, or he _could_ be telling me the truth…did Mike and everyone else sink deep into his brain…to the point where they barely show up? Yet…no one but Svetlana could do an athletic stunt like that…I don't _get_ this!

* * *

Dawn glared at Mal. "That's enough."

Mal smirked at her, but it soon faded. "The… _hell…_ "

Dawn's eyes were glowing a pale green once again, her aura starting to flare out. Mal, for the first time this season, visibly flinched.

"Okay, uh… _uhhhh…_ " he said, at a loss for words. Then…he felt it.

He felt the pale green start to envelop his mind and his vision. He felt it caress his mind, enter its every fold, trying, pleading, to find some semblance of the young man Dawn once knew…

Mal backflipped away, sighing heavily in relief as the aura faded.

 _That…_ _ **that**_ _was weird._

 _Crikey, I'll say the same thing there, ah?_

Mal's eyes widened and his pupils shrunk to the size of pins.

" _What?!_ "

* * *

 **Mal** : Un… _unreal!_ Manitoba's back!? What the hell _is_ this chick?!

* * *

Dawn was the one to flinch now; her green aura disappeared and her eyes returned to their normal sapphire blue.

"I…I'm sorry, what just…" she murmured, confused.

She then noticed Mal standing 3 feet away from her, shivering. Her eyes widened.

"Oh God…"

* * *

 **Dawn** : It slipped out?! But I don't have full control over that yet! Oddly enough, I don't remember _ever_ having full control over that…

* * *

Mal testily slid back on the bench next to Dawn.

"I don't know what your deal is, but you will _never_ do that with me, again! Is that clear?"

Dawn smirked at him. "Crystal… _Mike._ "

Mal clutched his face, digging in deep with his nails. "I told you, _Mike's not here!_ I can access his personality, but…"

"How do you know that that's Mike, hmm? He wasn't all happy and laughing when I met him back in Season 2…"

"Oh, trust me, you _don't_ know Mike as well as I have…he was _such_ an innocent boy, a little…naïve, one would say. Hmm?"

"Don't you _hmm_ me, young ma…" Dawn gasped.

Mal cackled. "Oh, look, you thought you were talking to your _boyfriend_ , huh? C'mon, do your little thing again! Bring him out, send me away!"

Mal edged closer, so that Dawn could smell his rancid breath.

" _But if you do_ _ **anything**_ _like that again, I promise you, your head_ _ **will**_ _be severed from that body you love oh, so much…_ "

Duncan, still on the ground, had seen everything. Through his pain and his swelling chin, he gave a savage grin.

* * *

 **Duncan** : Aw, yeah! Dawn could be my salvation to getting Mal out of my system for _good!_ *his eyes widen and his voice starts shaking in terror* M-make it quick! _Please?_

* * *

With one last slightly shaky pirouette around a cannonball, Heather daintily gave her baton to Jo.

"Aw yeah! Let's do this!" Jo said, pecking Heather on the cheek.

As Jo sprinted off for the Dizzy Gut Upchuck, Heather rubbed her cheek. She stayed stiff as a board, even as she fell down, down, down into the mud below.

"Ooh, Heather got a nice one from Jo, and Jo's already underway in the challenge! How's Justin faring over by his dish?"

Justin _wasn't_ faring well. He was picking nervously at his dish, which consisted of several hot dogs and balls.

"Enjoying those dolphin wieners and bull testicles, pretty boy?" Chris taunted. "Yeah, consider _that_ revenge for your nefarious womanizing schemes!"

* * *

 **Justin** : Ugh, Chris! Ever since I got back to _this_ handsome bod, eating _peasant_ food like this was absolutely out of the question! Besides, I already faced this stuff! …*he shifts his eyes rapidly and moves closer to the camera, whispering* …you won't tell them that I couldn't eat the testicles, will you?

* * *

Gwen was trying her hardest not to puke as she downed the last of her soup. "Ugh, Duncan, come on! You're _so_ close…"

Duncan groaned and got to his feet, dodging a cannonball shooting at his foot. "Alright, sister! I'm on it!"

Gwen rolled her eyes and sighed. "Sister? _Really?_ "

* * *

 **Gwen** : Duncan's attitude's been making me re-think this whole 'alliance' deal. Ugh, he's just so _insufferable!_

* * *

Duncan threw the relay baton to Gwen, who was starting on her duck heart. She sighed.

"Yeah, thanks, but how's that going to help me eat _this_ slop?"

"Hey, look at it this way, you can rest easy knowing that those runts are out of your hair for good, right?"

"I guess, but…" Gwen gagged as she shoved half of the heart into her mouth, chewing heavily.

Duncan sighed and hopped off the platform. "Guess there's nothing left for me to do. C'mon, toots!"

He kicked Heather, who was still in her position from before the fall.

* * *

 **Heather** : Honestly, acting vulnerable is the only way for me to see exactly _what_ Jo's deal is! I know she has the hots for me, who can blame her? My only question is _why…_

* * *

Zoey groaned as she pushed a cart full of beef stroganoff to Owen.

"Here…you… _are!_ " she gasped, before collapsing to her knees.

"Aw, thanks, buddy!" Owen said, taking another slurp of spaghetti. "I'm not _quite_ done with this yet, though!"

Zoey glared at Chef, who grinned. "I…hate…you…"

"Aww, where's the PoC love?" Chef cackled at her. "At this rate, you'll be Anne Maria 2.0!"

* * *

 **Zoey** : What? _No!_ I refuse to be associated with that racist jerk anymore…God, _why_ did I side with her at the season finale last year…

* * *

Jo skillfully weaved through the circles, making sure to adjust her weight when she moved to the next section. With that in mind, she passed the Dizzy Gut Upchuck in no time at all.

"Here you go, teammate!" she said, tossing her baton to Justin.

" _Ow!_ " he groaned as the baton rapped against his head. "Can't you wait for me to finish first?"

Jo looked at his barely-eaten plate. " _Finish?!_ "

* * *

 **Jo** : That's it! Justin's pretty much _dead_ if we lose tonight! Unless…

* * *

Gwen bit into something hard with her second helping of duck.

" _OW!_ What the-oh, _great._ "

She pulled out her baton piece and attached it to the parts still on the ground.

"C'mon, Gwen! Yo'ou still gotta finish eating, eh!" Ezekiel called out to her. "Besides, I do'on't think _he's_ (he pointed to Justin with his thumb)go'onna finish anytime soon!"

"Oh, shut it, child! I _will_ beat you once again!"

"In yo'our dreams, eh!"

Justin glared at the former Gopher that he had eliminated so long ago. "It. Is. _ON._ "

Jo gasped as Justin ate everything on his place, tossing her his portion of the baton as he discovered it.

"Uh, oh- _kay,_ that's _quite_ the motivation…" she said, attaching the even-longer relay stick to it.

The throaty squawk sounded once again.

"Ooh, Gwen could possibly lead the Heroic Hamsters into a 3rd loss! Don't nosedive _now,_ hmm?" Chris said, watching Owen combining the spaghetti and stroganoff. "How's it goin', my man?"

"Oh, Chris, this is _so_ good! Who's making this, anyways?"

"Oh, you'll be surprised, Big O…"

* * *

In the kitchen, a certain old Cam-bot was beeping as it stirred the ladle, creating more chunky pasta dishes for its portly recipient.

The middle slid open lengthwise, revealing the portly bespectacled intern. He was holding Sierra's phone, which was connected to the island's internet. It was showing recipes on how to make spaghetti Bolognese, beef stroganoff, and different kinds of meat sauces.

"It smells like sweat and human waste, but hey, it's a living," he said, before the doors slid shut.

Sierra snuck up behind the robot and screamed loudly at it.

" _I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE, MAL! GET OUT HERE AND_ _ **GIVE ME BACK MY PHONE!**_ "

The robot beeped incessantly as Sierra continually started to slash and smack it, creating small grooves along its metallic body.

* * *

Cameron looked over at Eva. She was sitting on the edge of her platform, ignoring the food that had appeared behind her.

"Uh, aren't you going to eat that?" Cameron asked, pointing at the dish.

"That? Nah. I'm just here to see him suffer."

Cameron looked over at Justin, who was hand-sprinting over to the Bouncy Butts. "Why? Hasn't he suffered enough?"

"Oh, right, you weren't there yesterday. Short and to the point, _no._ "

Eva laughed derisively as Justin failed to bounce off the first obstacle. He yelled as he slammed belly-first into it, then flew off it and onto the mud.

"Ooh, Justin's gotta try _that_ one again!" Chris chuckled, as the model clambered up the ladder nearby.

Jo looked around. Her competition had hopped off or was waiting for their turn.

"Whelp, looks like I'm no longer needed her- _WHOA!_ " she started to say, before jumping down right on Heather's stomach.

"Pfft, that's _nothing_ to her! I've been kicking her for the past 5 minutes!" Duncan said, legs crossed on the grass nearby the mud.

"Uh, babe?" Jo asked, noticing that Heather hadn't reacted to Jo's foot hitting her stomach. "Alright, ugh, _Heather?_ "

She gently kicked Heather's side with her shoe. This finally _did_ get a reaction out of Heather; she emitted a loud, long squeak, similar to a balloon being deflated under strain.

An angelic choir sounded over Heather's squeak.

"Ooh, looks like Gwen's off to the races, _finally…_ " Chris said, looking over at Owen again. "How's the grub? You _thirsty?_ "

"Ooh, yes please!" Owen said, putting aside his spaghetti/stroganoff mix. "What's on that menu?"

"Well, only fruit punch," Chris grinned. "Consider it… _incentive_ for some of these campers. Off you go, Zoey!"

Zoey groaned as she half ran, half skipped over to the mess hall. "Damn Chris and making me do all this work…"

Gwen had entered the Dizzy Gut Upchuck, but she wasn't doing well at all. Her head spun, causing her to nearly collapse at some key points. Her vision was getting blurry; Ezekiel, who was in front of her, was looking more and more like a shapeless blob.

 _Oh, god, I hope those weren't the same animals that got me booted earlier…_

Gwen collapsed on all fours, getting knocked and bumped around by the sectioned circles spinning around.

" _Gwen!_ Yo'ou can do it, eh!" Ezekiel called out, leaning into the tunnel.

"Up, up, up! Can't go in there to save her or it's a 1-minute penalty for you!" Chris said, as Zoey angrily brought out a large fruit punch cup, complete with straw.

Owen grinned and drank it greedily. "Ooh, that's _good!_ "

Gwen peered over at Owen through the translucent glass. _Oh God, is he drinking…_ _ **bl**_ _—_

Gwen's thoughts were interrupted as she projectile vomited hard onto the glassy floor. She yelled and slid on the vomit, causing her to hit the machine hard.

Before she knew it, with a loud _CRASH_ , Gwen found herself puking onto the muddy area below, a segmented circle whirling around her body.

"Ooh, and Gwen's started a 2-minute penalty for the Hamsters!" Chris said as Ezekiel immediately dove off his platform.

"Oh God, Gwen, let me help ya out, eh!"

With a little effort, Ezekiel had Gwen's baton in hand, and was supporting his even more pale-faced girlfriend over to the bench.

"You know when the time's up, you gotta eat your food, _right?_ " Chris said, looking at Ezekiel's uneaten dish up top. "You don't have to worry anyways, it's _just_ honey!"

Ezekiel looked up. From his perspective, he couldn't see anything. "I, uh, I'll take your wo'ord for it, eh?"

Gwen slumped forward, moaning. "Wh…what really _was…_ that…Chris…?"

"Just old roadkill Chef picked up with his ATV and some garbage soup! Pretty convincing though, huh?"

Gwen immediately projectile vomited again. Ezekiel dodged out of the way just in time.

"Alright, homeschool, you have a minute-30 left on your penalty, so I _think_ you wanna get up to your station!" Chris said, as Owen happily consumed his food and drink.

Ezekiel hurried up the ladder and glanced at his dish.

"Oh, come _on,_ not again, eh!"

There, in front of him, was a live beehive, dripping with honey. The piece of the relay baton was right beside it.

"Uh, Zeke, you _do_ realize that you'll have to get Gwen's baton from the wreckage below, right?" Chris said, smirking.

"At this rate, the Villainous Vultures are going to their third win in a row! Wonder how they feel about _that!_ "

Justin could barely feel anything at this point. His chest area had been pounded by the firm obstacles and his face was caked in mud.

 _Dammit! I_ _ **will**_ _get through this!_

With a loud yell, Justin bounced from each obstacle on his hands, somersaulting in between each one.

 _That's the 5_ _th_ _one! And now I…_

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA!_ "

Justin slammed hard into the ground after being punched down there by Eva.

" _Whyyyyyy?_ " he moaned as his relay baton clattered down next to him.

"Cuz I _need_ this catharsis!" Eva said to him, smirking. "Do it again!"

Justin gritted his teeth at her. "Just you wait…"

"Just I wait what, huh? Honestly, with the crap you've given _everyone_ back in Season 1, and _especially_ me and Katie, oh, buddy, you've signed your death warrant!"

Ezekiel found Gwen's baton in the wreckage, wiping off the dollops of puke as he did so.

 _C'mon, everything's relying on me, eh?_

Ezekiel hurried up and turned to Chris. "How much time no'ow?!"

"I'd say, uh…time…issssssssss…up… _NOW!_ "

Ezekiel hurriedly picked up the baton and attached it to the longer piece. He then tried to pick up the honeycomb, but to no avail.

"Oh, come _on,_ eh! What's the deal! I need to eat easier!" he groaned, bending down and lapping up the honey.

"Oh, Ezekiel, if it were _that_ easy…yeah, we've basically pinned that food down until you've eaten it all…"

"Then how will I proceed, eh- _AAH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_ "

Chris howled with laughter as Ezekiel's face was swarmed with angry bees. Mal, from below, gave him a major smirk.

"Uh, Chris?" Owen asked the host, "isn't that a _little_ much?"

"Hey, it was Chef's idea to bring back the blasts from the past, Owen!" Chris said, stopping his laughter.

"Speaking of which, Chef, can you _please_ check on our intern? I don't even know what she's doing right now…"

Chef sighed, rolled his eyes, stood up, and walked off.

* * *

Sierra was perched on top of a cabinet, wearing a pan for a helmet and wielding a lid and rolling pin for weapons.

"Alright, you sneaky devil! I know you've been behind my phone's disappearance…and I _will_ get it back! Mark My. _WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODS!_ "

At the last word, Sierra pounced off the cabinet, diving directly for her robotic adversary, which was rolling past her. She slammed hard into the back, causing it to dent.

The midsection opened, revealing the intern again. "Uh, ma'am, Chef told me to take this away from you to increase your work ethic," he said over Sierra's yells and _thwacks_.

" _I don't care! You're in there, Mal, and I'm comin' to get you out! AAAAAAAAH!_ "

The kitchen was becoming more and more in complete disarray as Sierra and the robot duked it out.

* * *

Owen happily finished his drink.

"So, think Justin's ever gonna get across?" he said to Chris, smirking slightly.

"I kinda doubt it…" Chris replied, stretching in his lawn chair. "Not if Eva's got anything to say about it!"

Justin yelled and landed in the mud once again, due to Eva's punch.

" _Will my torment ever end!?_ " he called to Chris.

"Nope!" the host replied, pulling out a button and pressing a remote.

Justin yelled as a Bouncy Butt slammed into him from above, repeatedly grinding his face into the muck below.

An angelic choir sounded from the Heroes end. "And Ezekiel's finished his honey! Off he goes to the Bouncy Butts!"

Ezekiel squinted through his puffed-up face. _Almost there, eh?_

He made sure his baton was 4 segments long before continuing. With a muffled yell, Ezekiel bounced off one obstacle…two…three…four…

"Caththit Cmrun, ehhhhh!" Ezekiel slurred, throwing the baton at Cameron.

Cameron yelled as he saw the whirling implement sailing towards him. He held his hands out in front of him for self-defense, then gasped as it landed neatly in his grip.

" _YES!_ " he shouted, before turning to his dish. His look of joy fell off his face and was replaced with confusion.

In front of him was a small, burnt box of fries and a plastic cup with a stirring implement in it.

"Uh, Chris, what _is_ this?" he asked the host.

"Oh, just burnt Frankie-brand French fries and bubble liquid for a drink!" Chris said. "Spoilers, that baton's going to be _difficult_ to find…"

* * *

 **Cameron** : *he facepalms* I _knew_ Chris would take advantage of the fact that my mom makes my meals perfectly! Every time!

* * *

Cameron gingerly bit into one of the burnt French fries. "Huh…it's actually not bad!"

* * *

 **Cameron** : Everyone knows that Frankie-brand French fries taste like absolutely nothing! They're meant for 5-year-old kids, for crying out loud! God knows them being burnt is an improvement…

* * *

Cameron started to shove the fries into his mouth. Eva looked over at him.

Something in her snapped.

" _Alright, jerk-wad, that's it!_ " she yelled at Justin, who was bouncing over towards her again. She snatched the baton out of his hand and smashed him off his trajectory again.

" _Playtime's over, kid!_ " she yelled at Cameron, who was finishing the last of his fries. She started to wolf down her green toast, omelet and orange juice.

"And Eva's just about to get through her Season 1 eating shout-out!" Chris said. "But looks like Cameron's not too far behind!"

The throaty squawk sounded. Mal looked up at Eva, grinning madly.

"Go," he said to no one in particular. "Go, and win it again…for us.

"For _me._ "

Cameron gulped nervously and looked over at Justin. Then, he looked over at Mal.

The grin that emanated from the latter's face drove fear deep into Cameron's heart once again.

"…ameron! You _might_ want to hurry! Eva's going for the foot, and once it's kicked her over to the Twister Zone, you're _done!_ "

Cameron yelped as Chris's words snapped him back into reality. He stared over at Eva, who indeed was running towards the singular boot that both were to be launched from.

He looked at Mal once again. His eyes narrowed.

 _I won't let you terrify me_ _ **ever**_ _again!_

Cameron grabbed his drink and downed it in 3 gulps. He immediately started choking and retching as his drink stirrer disappeared from view. The angelic choir above him sounded one last time.

"Ooh, I think he's gonna _hurl!_ " Chris said, looking over at Owen's empty plate. "You good there, dude?"

"Aw, yeah, I'm _more_ than okay! That was… _awesome!_ " Owen said. "Thanks for being a great help, Zoey! You're awesome, too!"

Zoey, who was lying on the ground, moaned in exhaustion and pain. "Don't…mention…it…"

Cameron coughed and spluttered his way towards Eva, who glared at him, her eyes bloodshot.

" _You're not getting out of here, kid!_ " she roared at him. " _Not if I have anything to say about it!_ "

"It's neck and neck for the Heroes _and_ the Villains!" Chris said, sitting up in his seat for the first time. "Who's going to go all the way?!"

"It's _obviously_ going to be _me!_ " Eva said, cocking her fist back for a punch. Cameron, well aware of this, clutched onto her leg.

" _GET OFF ME, YOU CREEP!_ " Eva said, but it was too late. The massive foot slammed right into Eva's stomach, avoiding Cameron and his large head.

Chris's eyes were wide as he saw the two contestants slam hard into the Twister Zone.

Another intern pushed a button nearby the obstacle, causing the wooden contraption to spin wildly. Both Eva and Cameron's cheeks bulged out as it spun faster and faster.

Almost as soon as it started, it stopped. Everyone's breath was held in anticipation.

Zoey was the first to gasp as she saw Cameron slide out of the Twister Zone, still coughing and spluttering.

"No. _Way._ "

* * *

 **Zoey** : Did I underestimate Cameron this whole time?!

* * *

" _NOT SO FAST, PUNK!_ "

Eva wrenched Cameron back by the scruff of his hoodie, causing the latter to grip the front of his neck.

Eva's eyes were more bloodshot than ever. " _Enough is enough! I won't let my petty revenge get in the way of the competition_ _ **ever**_ _again! I…I won't…_ _ **I can't lose again!**_ "

Cameron finally coughed out the baton section that was impeding his throat. "Eva, wait! If you _really_ want to get rid of that guy you were beating up just minutes before…don't you _want_ to lose this challenge?"

Eva's rage stopped almost immediately as she processed this information. "I, uh…huh, you're right! The _hell_ came over me just then?"

She dropped Cameron, who fell to the ground with another " _Ow!_ "

"Ooh, looks like Eva's given up any chance of victory to get Justin eliminated!" Chris said, reclining on his seat again. "If nothing goes super wrong, Cameron _just_ might have…ooh, wait a minute!"

Cameron's hand was over his bulging-out mouth. He couldn't hold what was inside any longer.

The other contestants watched in disgust and awe as Cameron burped out an enormous amount of bubbles, flowing from his digestive tract.

Duncan scratched his head from below. "In tribute for Cameron, I'm honestly wondering _how_ the heck that works…hey, he'd be asking that right now!"

Cameron's burping stopped, save for one lone bubble escaping. He noticed the last piece of the baton lying on the ground. He grinned, attached it, and sprinted for the end goal.

"Ooh, he's… _he's…AND CAMERON WINS IT FOR THE HEROIC HAMSTERS!_ " Chris called as Cameron shoved the completed baton into the docking station, causing the whole area to glow purest gold.

"Villainous Vultures, I'm _pretty_ sure you've got an idea on who's going to go tonight…ha…hahaha! _HAHAHAHAHA!_ "

Justin groaned, caked in mud, bumps, and bruises. Eva, still resting where she was, gave him a savage grin.

* * *

 **Eva** : I honestly _really_ hope that Chris gives me the chance to deliver justice that Justin deserves! Bye bye, scumbag! Hello, million dollars!

* * *

Later that afternoon, in the mess hall, the Villainous Vultures were eating Chef's food.

The chef was busy cleaning up the wrecked kitchen, whistling as he did so.

"So, Justin, how did _you_ like that adventure today?" Mal asked him sweetly.

"I _didn't!_ " Justin yelled at him, slamming his spoon onto the table. "Mark my words, Eva's going _down…_ "

"And _why_ would you want to do that? You could potentially get her back into her weak spot…mess with the team dynamic…"

"You've seen what she's been doing to me! I want to do anything, _anything_ , to make sure this pain and suffering will end…"

Mal smirked at him. "Very well then, ally. I'll see what I can do."

He slid over to Heather and Jo. The former had recovered from her "stiff-as-a-board" phase.

"Hel- _lo,_ Jo," he said, a sly smirk on his face.

"Ugh, right, what do _you_ want?" Jo scoffed at him. "Here to make more shady deals and get me booted out of the game?"

"Well, no. You see, I had a proposition I want to make to you…it's about Eva."

" _What_ about Eva? Are you saying you want her booted out?"

"Well, of _course_."

"Ha! As if I'd listen to a two-timing weasel like you! Nice try, _Mal!_ "

Mal flinched as he saw Eva and Zoey glaring at him from afar.

"Very well, then…but mark my words…you _will_ pay, one way or another…"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. C'mon, babe, let's get _out_ of this joint."

* * *

 **Heather** : Ha! Like _Mal_ can take care of us! Team Heather and Jo to the end! …I mean, what?! No! That's not what I meant at all!

 **Jo** : Ha! Mal thinks he's got me, but I'll show him! It's go time! Add in the fact that Heather's putty in my hands and hey! It's a smooth deal. A little infirmary-slash-kissing assistance and she was on her feet in no time!

 **Heather** : Of _course_ I faked being stiff as a board! How _else_ did you think I'd get onto Jo's weaker side? *she grins widely and whispers* _Don't tell anyone, but those kisses at the infirmary were **gold!**_

* * *

"So, Eva, how are you doing?" Zoey asked.

"Meh. Could be better, could be worse. Just glad Justin's getting the boot tonight, you know?"

Zoey coldly looked over at Justin. "I'll say…"

"Hey, Zoey?"

"What's up?"

"Don't tell anyone, but…I'm personally glad I have a friend like you here."

Zoey said nothing, but Eva could tell that she was grinning like a maniac on the inside.

* * *

 **Zoey** : I…I made a friend?! _Yes!_ *she sighs happily* Honestly, if I can get back on Duncan and Cameron's good side, this competition is mine!

* * *

Chris stood in front of the 6 Villainous Vultures, with Owen holding the tray of 5 marshmallows.

"So, Villains lose by a considerable margin! Way to cost your team an important win, Eva!"

"Hey, it was for a good cause!" she snapped at him.

"And Justin! Looks like you lost the respect of everyone save for Mal!"

Justin sighed and sunk even further forwards. "Just eliminate me already, why don't you?"

"Of course! But, before you guys get to voting, who's going to Boney Island tonight?"

" _I WILL!_ "

Gwen, Cameron, and Duncan immediately stood up, the former tossing off her towel from the spa hotel.

" _Wait, what?!_ " they all said to each other.

"But I want to get there to get away from Mal!" Duncan said indignantly.

"And _I_ want to go because I don't believe Chris when he said those animals were _gone for good!_ " Gwen snapped back.

Cameron gritted his teeth and glared. "What about me? _**We had a deal, Gwen!**_ "

Everyone present gasped, save for Chris. The grin on his face was the widest anyone had ever seen it.

"Ooh, looks like Gwen's making shady backroom deals to get herself ahead in the game! Wonder how the rest of her team will take _that_ news?"

Ezekiel gasped, although it was muffled through his bee stings. Dawn put a hand gently on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," she said kindly to him. "We've got _bigger_ … (she glared at Mal) …problems to work with…"

"Fine, then let _Cameron_ go," Gwen scoffed, sitting back down and wrapping the towel around herself again. "I really don't care."

Duncan looked forlornly at Cameron. "You sure about this, bro?"

"Don't worry, I _want_ to go."

* * *

 **Cameron** : Well, another reason I want to go there is because I _definitely_ need less Sierra time…and that's even _after_ she's been out of my hair for the past day or two!

* * *

Chef cackled and honked the boat horn.

"C'mon, kid, we've got some _catchin' up_ to do…" he said, grinning.

Cameron sighed and walked towards the boat.

"Wait! Cam!"

Cameron turned around to see Duncan throwing his pocketknife towards him.

"It's not much, but…it's a little something to keep you safe, okay?"

Dawn turned to Duncan; she felt something slightly different about him.

 _Is this…fear? Fear for Mal? I need to ask him later…_

"Anywho, onwards and flushwards!" Chris said as Cameron left for Boney Island.

He pulled out a box from behind the oil drum. It had a slot to put papers in and was sealed with a special key.

"Now that Mal's properly back in the game, I decided to beef up the voting security so he wouldn't tamper with it," Chris told the Vultures. "Only one who can open _this_ bad boy up is me!

"And _no,_ I don't have the key in an easily-accessible spot! I'm not _that_ dumb… _Justin._ "

"Stop insulting my intelligence, or potential lack thereof!" Justin snapped at him.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…anywho, the 6 of you, time to vote!"

* * *

 **The confessional** : *it shows 6 screens of the Villainous Vultures voting, laid in a 3x2 grid. Eva's shown biting her thumb hard, causing blood to spill out. She then marks a bloody red X on Justin's photo and grins madly at the camera*

* * *

"So, we're down to the bottom two contestants!" Chris said, motioning to Eva and Justin.

Owen gave a small smile at the two remaining contestants.

"Oh, and Owen? Kudos for _not_ eating any of those marshmallows," Chris told him.

"Aw, thanks, Chris, but I'm not hungry! That feast today was _so goooood…_ "

He patted his belly, satisfied.

"And tonight's final marshmallow goes…tooooooo…" Chris said, as the Total Drama elimination theme sounded in the background.

Eva grinned wickedly at Justin. Justin sunk further on his tree stump.

Owen took the marshmallow from the tray and held it up, watching the light from the bonfire dance off it.

The music flourished and the camera cut in between Eva and Justin's faces, as well as Chris's smirk and Owen's content smile.

"… _JUSTIN!_ "

" _WHAT?!_ "

Eva bolted upright off her stump in a flash. She glared at Chris, then at Owen, and finally at the rest of her team.

"Right, _what the hell is your_ _ **problem**_ _?!_ Don't any of you know what you've just _done?!_ You're _keeping_ this disgusting individual instead of someone who can lead you to victory time and time again!"

* * *

 **Jo and Heather** :

 **Jo** : Yeah, voting off Eva? That wasn't _terrible,_ but…

 **Heather** : _But_ going against Mal and messing with his mind was what you wanted in the end, right?

 **Jo** : Oh, yeah! Ha, score one for us!

 **Heather** : You know, I _love_ it when you get all… _backstabby…_

 **Jo** : It's what I do! I—

*anything Jo was going to say gets cut off as Heather kisses her on the lips passionately. Jo wrenches herself off of her soon after*

 **Jo** : I, uh, wait, what?! Aw, Heather, you shouldn't have!

 **Heather** : *she stands up and struts out of the confessional. It's quiet for a moment*

 **Jo** : So, uh, was that legit or is she messing with me, too? Rrgh, c'mon, Heather! What's your game?

* * *

Eva took a few deep breaths as Zoey escorted her to the Flush of Shame.

"Right…" she said, finally coming to full realization of what had just happened. "Right, Zoey, uh…"

"You don't have to say anything, Eva," Zoey said. "I get what happened. The team doesn't like strong, independent women like yourself out there."

"I wouldn't go _that_ far…" Eva said, looking at Jo, who high-fived Heather.

"But, Zoey, what happened tonight was a legitimate injustice. Justin _has_ to pay, and I need you to do it for me."

Zoey gave her friend a gentle hug, which wasn't reciprocated. "Of course! If there's anyone you can count on out there, you can count on me!"

* * *

 **Zoey** : Well, _kinda…_ now I'm the lone wolf on the Vultures that wants Justin gone…at least, I'm _pretty_ sure I am. Don't know what Heather and Jo have up their sleeves, but I'll find out, one way or another!

* * *

Eva climbed into the toilet. She narrowed her eyes to give the biggest glare she had ever given at Justin.

" _You're going down, shitstain…_ " she hissed under her breath. " _I promise you that…_ "

Justin, who was sitting next to Mal on his stump, smirked.

Chris walked up to her, remote in hand. "Guess this is it for one of our most promising competitors! Sorry, Eva, I don't like it either…

"If it makes you feel any better, I told Owen to eat that final marshmallow…"

" _Mmmm!_ Tastes like revenge!" Owen said happily.

"Good for you, Owen," Justin said from behind him. "You, of all people…I think _Noah_ would be proud…"

Owen turned around, glaring at someone for what seemed to be the first time. "Oh, it's _on,_ " he said coldly. "You've been _nothing_ but a heartless monster and I promise you, someone _will_ take you out! Hopefully, it'll be my Little Buddy…"

"Any last words, Eva?" Chris said, as Duncan walked up to the Flush of Shame as well.

"Eh, not really. Glad we didn't really feud this season, Duncan."

Duncan scoffed, but hid the traces of a smile. "I've had worse."

With a _beep_ , Eva whirled down the large porcelain toilet, not making a sound…

"And I think that's a wrap for this episode!" Chris said happily. "We're down to our top 10! Tomorrow's going to be _quite_ the doozy, I'll say! But anywho, we'll see you then on Total…Drama…Heroes vs. Villains!"

* * *

The cameras cut to Sierra, who was once again chained up to the tree. She was snoring, tranquilizer stuck in her neck.

The only exhaling sounds that could be overheard were "phone…" and "Camody…"

Another acorn rapped her head from above, causing her to awaken instantly. " _OW!_ Why, I oughta…"

The squirrel giggled at her and scampered away.

Sierra glared at the camera in front of her. "That's it! Time to start a live vlog from up here! 'Day 4, June 10th, 20- _OW!_ "

The robot had thrown a pan at her to keep her quiet. It gave two quick _beeps_ and rolled away as quickly as it could.

Sierra gritted her teeth. " _I HATE YOU, CHRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS!_ "

* * *

(AN: And that's a wrap for my least favorite episode of canon All-Stars! Well, _so_ far…barf. But hey, I spread my hatred of this episode out by making the person everyone expected to go far to go early! _MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_

…but seriously, this was a tough one to decide on who was to go! I seriously had thoughts about the Hamsters losing again and Gwen/Ezekiel being up for elimination, and Gwen ultimately going, but nah. Just nah. You'll see what happens to both of them later.

Also, expect a weekly release on these episodes, approximately. It's like canon All-Stars in that sense, which is cool. And _no_ , when I get around to Pahkitew Island, it won't be a 2-week marathon! Absolutely not!

But hey, if you've been paying attention, you might be noticing a trend on who's getting the shaft first…

Lastly, I bet you were wondering what was up with the spaghetti Bolognese and the stroganoff. Basically, the campers would think that Owen was eating human guts and stuff, especially after impeded vision. Hey, it nearly worked for Gwen!)

Heroic Hamsters: Cameron, Dawn, Duncan, Ezekiel, Gwen

Villainous Vultures: Heather, Jo, Justin, Mal, Zoey

14th: Anne Maria

13th: Cody (quit)

12th: Brick

11th: Eva

Next Up: Moon Madness (oh lord, _another_ episode that's not good…but I don't hate this one _as_ much as this one, since I had no one left to root for…)


	5. Moon Madness

(AN: Episode 5 time! Can't believe a few months ago I was working on Revenge of the Island episode 5…hoo boy!)

 **Chris** : Last time on Total Drama: Heroes vs. Villains, the teams had a crazy eating challenge that stretched their stomachs to new heights! Eva had a great ol' time smashing Justin's hopes and dreams, while Zoey delivered food to the challenge helper, Owen! Gwen had a puke-tastic time during her run, while Duncan took over Dawn's slack! Dawn may or may not have had an effect on Mal…*the camera cuts to Dawn's eyes glowing green and Mal backflipping away*…which may or may not affect the dynamic between the two, ha- _ha!_ In the end, Cameron had a come-from-behind victory and seized the Heroes win. At elimination, Heather and Jo kissed, made up, and voted Eva out of the game! 10 remain, and they have a _lot_ to gain! Find out what's in store for them on this exciting episode of Total…Drama…Heroes vs. Villains!

*cue the theme song*

Episode 5: Moon Madness

* * *

Justin groaned as his attempts to recline on the bunk bed were met with discomfort.

"You know, I'm so used to being in the lap of luxury, this place _sucks_ ," he said to Mal.

Mal didn't hear; he was too busy rooting through his tote bag.

Justin sat up and propped himself on his elbow. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing _major…_ just looking at what our dear friend left us…"

"Eva?"

"No! The _geek._ "

Justin's eyes widened. "Oh? Are you implying that you took some of his things?"

* * *

 **Mal** : That's _exactly_ what I'm implying, heheheh…*he pulls out several advanced tools* Let's see, one's a laser pointer, one's another fancy screwdriver/sword hilt, and one turns into a massive compartment on the inside…the rest? Oh, just plain tools. Heh, can't say Cody had a fully technical mindset…*he points the laser pointer at certain points in the confessional, then at his tools. He hears it beep a few times as he did so* Hmm? 'What would you like to do? Repair slash modify slash execute'? *his grin grows ever wider* Oh, Cody, what a _chump!_

* * *

Zoey glared at the two of them from atop her bunk. "Can't you two keep it down? _Some_ of us are trying to sleep!"

"We're not!" Heather and Jo said. The two were close to each other on the top bunk, grinning and glaring at each other.

* * *

 **Zoey** : Ugh! Can't they just get _together_ already?! Honestly, how can I support them if they don't have a relationship _to_ support?

* * *

In the spa hotel, Gwen exhaled softly as she sat on her bed.

 _Honestly, today sucked. Least Dawn's not here to screw around with me right now…_

* * *

 **Gwen** : *she sighs* Hopefully our 4-man alliance stands…Dawn's _seriously_ gotta go next time we lose.

* * *

"Gwen? _Gwen!?_ Have you seen D—"

" _Away_ from the women's sleeping quarters, _sir._ " The butler half-pushed, half-shoved, Duncan back from the doorway.

Gwen stood up and poked her head out. "Dawn said something about 'a lake' and 'taking a bath'. Don't know what it means, don't care."

"Oh, thank God! I need to speak with her now!"

Ezekiel looked at Gwen from the eating area as Duncan sprinted off. "Think he's alright, eh?"

Gwen drew her head back into her room. "I _really_ don't know."

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : Honestly, eh, I'm just wo'ondering which team is more messed up at this point. Ya know?

* * *

Zoey slammed open the cabin door. "Ugh, _God,_ you people annoy me…"

She rubbed her temples and stared outside on the porch.

"…Duncan? What's _he_ doing?"

In the darkness, she could barely make out the delinquent running towards the Wawanakwa lake in the center of the island.

Duncan panted as he finally reached the lake shores. The slightly blue moon shone over the waters, revealing Dawn serenely splashing in them.

"Is…this a bad time?"

Dawn gave a soft "oh!" and turned around, causing Duncan to cover his eyes.

"I'm-I'm clean! I swear!" he cried, eyes still covered.

" _Duncan!_ That's odd, I wasn't expecting to get to _this_ point until later…"

Duncan could hear Dawn splashing out of the water. "Do you need a towel? They've got some back at the spa hotel…"

"No need, nature's effective at drying me out anyways…"

Duncan snuck a peek from between his fingers. He noticed that Dawn was barely wet; her hair glistened in the moonlight.

"How did you do that so _fast…_ " he murmured to himself.

"Oh, simple! Be kind to nature and nature will be kind to you!"

Duncan heard rustling as Dawn put her clothes back on. "There, you can uncover your eyes now…not that I wouldn't object to you not doing so in the first place…"

Duncan put his hands down, confused. "I'm sorry, but wh…"

"Our bodies are works of art, Duncan! We're capable of doing wonderful, yet terrible, things! Being born on the blue harvest moon, I think my body's reaching some sort of…newfound heights…"

"Okay, give me those crazy pills you're stashing, what _are_ you talking about?!"

"Duncan, you don't understand! My parents gave me a book to read all about things like the 'blue harvest moon' and 'how when someone's born under it, it's a sign of great destiny…'"

Duncan groaned loudly. "Okay, moving on. I'm here to talk about Mal."

"Exactly as I thought you would! What about him? Is it related to the fear shrouding your auras?"

"Okay," Duncan said, throwing his arms up into the air, "you know _way_ too much about me, and we've barely even talked! What's your game?!"

"It's simple! I can detect your auras! Not like it's difficult or anything, they're there for everyone to see, easily!"

"And by 'everyone', you mean you…" Duncan muttered under his breath.

"So, about Mal," Dawn said, cheerily oblivious to what Duncan was saying, "I have just the…oh, hello!"

She waved over at Zoey, who yelled and hid further behind her rock.

Duncan yelled and dove for cover, but his efforts were futile. "Oh, God, _why?!_ "

"Relax, Duncan! I'm not here to laugh at you!"

Duncan sighed in relief as Zoey walked up, hands on her hips. "I just want answers, okay? Why are you coming to _her_ for advice, but not me?"

"Didn't think you cared! Besides, Mal and Dawn have a history…"

"So do we! At least, a bit of a history…"

* * *

 **Zoey** : Well, Mal slipped out when I acted like a major ass towards my team, right? That counts, right? _Right?!_

* * *

"Actually, you're _just_ what I need!" Dawn said happily, sitting down on the grass.

Zoey stared at her, the moon reflecting off her fake lenses. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You're the control that my aura powers need! Basically, I'm going to infiltrate Duncan's mind and see what I can dig up…"

"Okay, _what?!_ No! I don't need you poring through my private thoughts! Besides, how can you _do_ that?" Duncan snapped at her, recovering from his cowering position.

"Simple! I'm going to use something similar to what I use to sense your auras, just a _little_ stronger…"

Zoey and Duncan gave her confused looks. " _What?_ "

"It'll make sense when I actually do it! Please, join me and clasp your hands in a circle…"

Duncan and Zoey stared at each other, ignoring Dawn looking up at them. "Uhhh…"

"Please, make a decision quickly! Time is of the essence…"

Dawn's eyes flared green slightly in the light of the moon. "It's tomorrow."

Duncan looked incredulously at her. "No, it's not! It's—"

"You fail to understand me. The blue harvest moon is tomorrow. I feel it in my ever-increasing energy…"

Duncan stared at Zoey, a look of confusion, fear, and shame on his face. "Should I?"

"If it gets her to stop…"

Duncan and Zoey sat in a circle and clasped their hands with Dawn.

"Now, close your eyes…" she said, doing likewise.

Cameron, who was hanging off of a branch, yelped as he saw a shockwave of pale green shooting towards him from afar.

"What _was_ that?!" he yelped, clinging onto his only hope of salvation further.

Mal shivered slightly as the green shockwave went over him. "Wh…"

Justin gave him a look. "You good?"

"Possibly. Just need to inspect something…"

However, Mal felt resistance as he started to head out towards the lake.

 _Wh…Mike?!_

 _The very same, cap'n! Looks like you're stranded like those Tasmanians!_

 _Oh, shut it…wait, Tasmanians?_

 _The very same, ya blimey wanker! Soon you'll be stuck in 'ere and we'll be out and about again!_

 _I_ _ **highly**_ _doubt that…_

* * *

Dawn, Zoey and Duncan were sitting in their circle, eyes closed. Their hands were linked together, glowing with green veins.

Dawn was twitching slightly, using her ability to peer into Duncan's mind to find anything she could be looking for…

* * *

Duncan's field of vision jumped slightly as the door nearby him slammed open, then shut again.

"…and your name is, what, again?" A brisk female voice emanated from the far side of the room.

"Well, I _do_ like the name Malachi…but that's s _little_ long…heheh…"

The field of vision visibly flinched. The accompanying voice was unlike anything it had heard before. It was slightly raspy, more than what a normal 9-year-old would have. A bang covered one of his eyes; the other stared directly into Duncan's soul.

"Hey, miss? Do you think you can sit me near _him?_ "

The female looked over her clipboard at Duncan. "Oh, him? Why not, he's just here for a week or two for 'misconduct'. Don't know why his family's not sick of him at this point. He'll teach you the ropes, he's a 'regular'."

"A regular, hmm? _Perfect._ "

The kid approached Duncan, a smile on his face.

"Hey, buddy! How's it goin'?"

Duncan yelped and stammered to form words.

"G-god! I mean, I mean good! You?"

"Oh, I'm _peachy._ Got in here for beating the everloving crap outta my mom. Felt _good._ "

Duncan rapidly put his hands to his mouth, trying to swallow down the bile forming in his throat. Dawn, who was witnessing everything, shivered.

 _Duncan…were you hiding this in you the whole time?_

"C'mon, Duncan. Show me around."

"O-okay! Uh, okay, so this is Chef, our warden…he's pretty quiet…"

Dawn sighed as the memory faded away. _But I needed to see more!_

She rooted around further with her psionic energy. She smiled as another memory emerged.

 _Let's see what this one holds…_

* * *

"…so, Duncan. Are you in, or are you out?"

Mal was holding a pocketknife to the point of view, flanked by three hulking, brutish kids. Duncan flinched visibly, something Mal wasn't unaware of.

"Right, right…thought you would chicken out. Geez, only three days here and it's boring."

"Hey, it might be boring, but at least it's _safe!_ Kinda… _not_ …like…like what _you're_ doing!"

" _Hey_ yourself. Trust me, Duncan, you _don't_ want to meet Vito. Vito's _bad_ news."

"You never told me about Vito! Who's Vito?"

"Eey, yo, you're lookin' right at 'im!"

Duncan screamed as Vito pummeled him within an inch of his life. Mal's guards made sure that the coast was clear while the beatdown occurred.

Dawn winced with every blow. _Is this what you were holding back, Duncan?_

The memory phased in and out. Dawn sighed.

 _Uh, right, what's the deal with having_ _ **me**_ _here?!_

Dawn gasped as Zoey's consciousness crawled up next to her. _Oh! I, uh, lost track of you! I'm sorry…_

 _So, what's with me being the 'control' again?_

 _Oh, simple! In the event my powers go awry…which they might, I haven't really done this before…_

 _Wait,_ _ **what?!**_ _You sent us here with a risk involved? Are you_ _ **nuts?!**_ _Can I get out of here?!_

 _I'm sorry, but no! I need to finish poring through Duncan's…oh dear…_

The memory had phased back in. Mal threw the pocketknife at his feet.

"Here, take it. Make some heads roll. I'm gonna go rouse some guys from the other side of the cells. If Chef comes around, what's your story?"

"…the bed fell on me… _again…_ "

"Good. I'll see you later… _lackey…_ "

The memory phased out again, but was quickly replaced by another.

 _You found one that fast, Dawn?_

 _Well…these seem to be pretty tightly connected…_

Screams emanated from every corner of the large room. Chef was lying on the floor, twitching in pain, blood streaming from in between his fingers. One of Mal's guards stood over him, sneering.

"How do ya like _that,_ huh? Couldn't control either race in this prison…might as well hand in your resignation letter…"

With that, he stomped hard on Chef's hands with his slightly spiked shoes.

"Gotta thank 'Legs' for giving me these," he chuckled. "Bet 'Knuckles' is having a better time than I am…"

"Knuckles" chuckled as he slammed an African-Canadian's face into the hard table, causing blood to fly. "Aw, yeah! Good on ya for this, Mal! Really makes this stay fun!"

"I know, right?" Mal was grinning madly amongst the screams. Both black and white prisoners were lying in pools of blood, coating the floor in a sea of red.

"I think I'll put _this…_ " Mal said, pulling the pocketknife towards him, "…to an end!"

With a series of _thumps_ , Duncan saw Mal's escort's head bouncing towards him. He wailed weakly, tears filling his field of vision.

If Zoey could, she would've thrown up by then. Dawn just frowned and sighed.

"Well, I think that's that," Mal said, his face drenched with some fresh blood. "What do you say, boys? Shall we get out of here?"

Duncan shakily got to his hands and knees. Dawn and Zoey noticed that his knuckles were ripped raw, and his nose was bleeding.

"W… _wait!_ I-I won't let you! C'mon! I'll take you!"

"You'll _take_ me? Take me _where?_ "

In an instant, Mal had Duncan's neck in his tight grip, throttling him. Dawn and Zoey gasped as they heard the child choke and splutter.

" _You have failed me,_ _lackey…_ listen, last chance. Take this knife, and kill _that_ n-bleep!- over there…"

Mal sharply dropped Duncan to the ground and threw the knife at him. Duncan flinched as the knife pierced the front of his neck slightly.

"C'mon…hurry…"

Duncan shakily picked up the pocketknife and walked up to Chef. The warden was still clutching his face, trembling slightly.

"N-no…pl…please! Don' kill me! I'll do anythin'!"

Duncan's voice wavered as he tried to speak with confidence.

"Heh, Chef? Who…who kind of…what kind of parents names their kid _Chef?_ "

"Th… _that's a nickname! Why would I tell ya my real name, son?!_ "

Duncan couldn't take it anymore. He dropped the pocketknife and fell to his knees, sobbing.

"I CAN'T, MAL! I CAN'T DO IT ANYMORE! SCREW YOU! YOU AND YOUR EVIL WAYS!"

"Well, looks like we've got a quitter here…"

Mal was on top of Duncan in a few seconds flat. "So, guess I'll have to give you some retribution for not doing what you were told- _ULK!_ "

Duncan's eyes snapped open. Through the glaze of his tears, he saw Chef had tackled Mal to the ground.

" _THAT'S IT! I WON'T LET YOU TAKE THIS PLACE OVER, PUNK! YOU'LL BE S-_ "

But anything Chef was trying to say was drowned out by Mal's minions beating the tar out of him.

The time that elapsed was approximately 30 seconds, but to Zoey and Dawn, it felt like hours.

Mal was standing on top of Chef, his foot digging into the latter's dirty uniform.

"I think that's enough intimidation for one day," he said, grinning even more manically than ever. "Now then, I think it's time we freed the people we like…start a full-scale ri—"

"FREEZE! PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!"

The cavalry had arrived. Within moments, three had tackled Mal to the ground and had him cuffed. His lackeys fared no better.

"Damn, Joe, we didn't make it in time…look at this…"

Another officer looked around at the damage. "You're right…dammit! They used the riot in Blocks A and B to cover up _this_ crap…"

"You're in big trouble, mister," Joe said, forcefully picking up Mal. "You won't be coming here again…I think a little time in solitary and some psychological care should fix you right up…"

The other officers helped Chef to his feet, albeit with extreme difficulty. He was making pitiful noises, tears flowing down his bloody cheeks.

"I…I could'n'…I did'n…"

"We're going to have a talk," the officer said to Chef. "You _and_ Duncan. I need to know everything about what happened here…"

The memory quickly ended. Dawn gasped as a haze stood before her.

 _Oh, God. Uh, hello? Memories? Hello?_ _ **Hel-loooooooooooooooo?**_

She searched around for a few more seconds, but then quickly stopped.

 _What's th…Zoey? Where did you go?_

"…awn? Dawn! _Dawn! Wake up!_ "

Dawn awoke with a start. "Oh! Hello!"

Zoey breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. You went a little haywire there for a minute at the end. Woke me right up…that's why I wasn't there for the end."

Duncan was weeping silently, tears flowing down his cheeks.

"How much… _how much did you find out? Tell me!_ "

He gripped Zoey's shirt collar tightly.

"Uh, Duncan? I _think_ you're asking the wrong p—"

"No! It's…I didn't need you finding out that much about me, okay?! I mean…I mean…"

Zoey knelt down as Duncan curled up into the fetal position, sobbing.

"Hey…hey, Duncan? If it helps, I don't feel any differently about you, okay?"

"You don't?"

"No! Listen, I completely get why you'd keep this from people…especially me…"

"Yeah, no kidding…" Duncan wiped his eyes and got to his knees. He smiled slightly.

"Hey, thanks for not being a _complete_ douche towards me there. You've changed. What happened?"

"Well," Zoey said, giggling slightly, "Eva happened. Liked her more independent, powerhouse attitude, you know?"

Duncan sighed. "Oh yeah, that _did_ happen…listen, I'm, uh, I'm sorry if I may or may not have, you know…gotten your dand—"

Duncan's words were cut off as Zoey wrapped him in a tight hug.

"Hey, just…don't leave things from me again, okay? I, uh…I care about you, you know?"

* * *

 **Duncan** : Did…Did Zoey hit her head somewhere? When did she get so… _nice?_

* * *

Sierra struggled against her chains, ignoring the third tranquilizer dart that had entered her neck that night.

" _Nnnngh!_ Camody needs my help!"

The squirrel above her threw another acorn, chattering madly.

" _OW!_ That's it! I'm getting outta here!"

She strained at her chains, which slowly but surely started to give. Sierra grinned madly.

"I've… _done it!_ "

With one last effort, the chains snapped, causing Sierra to slam hard onto the ground below.

"Next stop, my phone!"

* * *

 **Sierra** : What's an intern without a good contact device? I'm coming for you, phone!

* * *

Sierra crept up to Chris and Chef's domicile, searching for her 2nd favorite thing in the world. She smirked as she saw a light was still on.

 _Perfect…_

Creeping up to the window, she noticed two sheets of paper. She quickly glanced over the first one, which described something about some "Alejandro/Jose Burromuerto" conglomeration and some "Aftermath" related event. Her eyes fell on the second one, which read "Season 4 Contestant List – Slated for Summer 2014."

Sierra plastered her face to the window, eyes squeaking around to look for anything of importance.

They sank onto the paper again. She quickly scanned the list.

 _Hmmm…only seven so far? We've got Dave, Amy, Sam…mey? Anyways, Sky, Jasmine, Rodney, and…ooh!_

 _There's Scarlett!_

* * *

 **Sierra** : Scarlett's _the_ reason I've been able to get in touch with Chris all those times in the past! She takes _great_ pride in her smarts, especially her hacking skills! *she gasps* Oops! Wasn't supposed to say that!

* * *

Sierra wiggled her fingers through a miniscule crack in the window, which led to her quietly sliding it open.

 _Yes! Onwards to my phone!_

Sierra landed hard on the ground, crawling through the window to do so. " _Oof!_ "

A creak came from close by. " _Alright, what's that racket?_ "

" _Eek! It's Chef!_ " Sierra's maniacal giggles were masked through her clenched teeth.

Sierra dove for cover through a door, causing it to swing in the breeze. Chef slammed open the door.

"Ugh, Chris! I thought I told you to close the window and turn off the lights when you were done with your work!"

" _Sorry! I like my nightly breezes!_ "

Sierra watched as Chef slammed the window shut, locking it, and turned off the lights. Her eyes soon adjusted to the lower light.

 _Maybe it's not here? Where's that robot?!_

* * *

 **Sierra** : Even though I know _everything_ about Total Drama, ever, I don't know where they keep that robot! They never showed where it slept! *she sighs* Time to learn something new!

* * *

Cameron groaned as he heard the swarm of bears wandering around beneath his tree.

"First Chef tells me that Mom's watching my every move on this show, now this! _Why?!_ "

A bear growled up at him.

"…I see your point!"

Cameron felt Duncan's pocketknife jiggle in his hoodie pocket.

 _No time like the present, I guess…let's do this!_

He took the knife out of his pocket and started to cut through the branch he was on. Fortunately, the end of it was thin; in no time at all, he was holding onto a makeshift weapon.

"Alright! Time to kick some bear butt!"

At those last words, the bears roared up at him, but started to back away.

Cameron quirked an eyebrow. _Wait, what? They're usually predatory…aren't they?_

He started to slide down the tree, brandishing the stick below him. The bears squeaked like hurt dogs and quickly sprinted off.

"Oh…kay… _that_ was weird." Cameron stared off into the dark distance at his would-be attackers.

He took the knife and started to cut out strips of bark, several of which were taller than he was. Before long, he had several strips lying on the ground.

"Step two: tie them together, tightly!"

Cameron did just that with some strands of grass lying on the ground. Now came the hard part: cutting open a slot to see through.

* * *

 **Cameron** : Mom made me watch _every_ show on animal survival and "Frankie's Friendly Survival Guide" about…say, 10 times each week. I'm _pretty_ sure I know my way around every knot imaginable now!

* * *

With a little difficulty, Cameron had cut a slot in the makeshift fire hydrant.

 _Good. Now I'm ready for action!_

He slipped the light hydrant over himself and started to totter off.

 _Now, where can I find…_

Cameron's thoughts were soon answered. A bear scampered through the woods, sporting several bumps and bruises. It saw the hydrant, roared/yelled, and lifted its leg at it.

Cameron groaned as the musk emanated from him, but it soon ended.

"Awesome! …wait, crap!"

Cameron groaned as the hydrant fell apart nearly instantly.

"A little _too_ flimsy…oh well! Step 2, accomplished!"

With that, Cameron jauntily whistled into the woods, strutting all the while.

* * *

 **Cameron** : The reason was simple! You surround yourself with the musk of the strongest wild animal, and the rest will give you the utmost respect!

* * *

Zoey tenderly escorted both Duncan and Dawn to the spa hotel.

"There…are you alright?"

"Not bad now," Duncan said, sighing in relief. "Thanks for being cool about this."

"Well, thanks for not pushing me away," Zoey said, smiling at him.

Duncan looked over at Dawn. "You good?"

Dawn sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Better now, thank you for asking, but still not fully recovered. Your aura's shaky, but it's more…resolute? Is that the word?"

"Sorry?"

"The talk with Zoey's calmed you down a lot, Duncan. But I _will_ keep an eye on you for however long I can. Your safety's at least worth that much."

Duncan smirked. "Thanks, Dawn. C'mon, let's hit the hay. Night, Zoey!"

"Goodnight!" Zoey smiled, stepping up the cabin stairs. She looked over at Mal, who was angrily shaking and gripping the side railing.

"What's up with _you?_ "

"Ffff…Mike… _why?!_ "

Dawn quirked an eyebrow at Mal. The latter glared at her, gnashing his teeth, as Dawn's eyes seemed to pierce into his soul.

"You…go… _away…_ "

Dawn pursed her lip and headed back towards the spa hotel.

* * *

 **Dawn** : Now that Duncan's auras have settled, my goal is, once again, getting Mike back. I do need to keep an eye out for Mal…could Mike be manipulating him from the inside?

* * *

Cameron whistled jauntily as he happily skipped down Boney Island's coastline. His musk repelled any animals that were nearby.

 _This was the best idea I've had since coming here! Well…almost!_

In the darkness, Cameron could see something tall and imposing ahead. He stopped suddenly.

"Wha…"

He slowly walked further. He stopped at what appeared to be a large door surrounded by a large wall, which rose indefinitely.

 _Well, looks like I'm not getting in there…_

Cameron's decision was reinforced by several loud _thuds_ and screeches from the other side. The door rocked, but stayed on its foundations.

Cameron's eyes widened. "Okay…I'm outta here!"

More screeches and thuds emanated from the door as Cameron scampered away.

* * *

 **Cameron** : Alright, so…what _was_ that?! Is Chris waiting to sic us with some unbelievable, never seen creature? Could you imagine what that would _be_ like?!

* * *

The closet door slowly creaked open, a pair of eyes blinking in the darkness behind it.

 _Is it here? Is it_ _ **not**_ _here? Maybe that intern has it?_

Sierra's thoughts were racing a mile a minute, a plan forming in her mind. Her body started to involuntarily twitch, miming the sneaking motions she would soon be making.

 _I think getting out of here would be—_

 _Thump. Thump. Thump._

Sierra's heart fluttered. She knew what _that_ sound was.

 _Awww, that's so cute! I_ _ **need**_ _to get a photo of that before the season is over!_

Her mind clicked back to the task at hand immediately.

 _Must. Find. Phone!_

Sierra stared at the window, which remained firmly closed. Her eyes narrowed.

 _All or nothing!_

The door creaked again as it opened further. Sierra started to slowly tiptoe to the window, her fingers wriggling in anticipation.

" _Here goes..._ " she whispered, slowly, gently, prying it open.

She smiled as the window smoothly rose from its base, creating an opening large enough for her to crawl out of. Sierra then swiftly, stealthily, slid out of the space, softly landing on the ground outside.

The _thumps_ continued inside. Sierra, eyes glittering, made sure to carefully, silently, close the window, leaving no trace that she had ever been there.

Stifling her squeal of happiness with her hands, Sierra hurried off to get a lead on any intern whereabouts.

* * *

 **Sierra** : *she hyperventilates, fanning herself* Okay, like, oh-em-gee, that was _amazing!_ Eek! If only Codykins were here to see that! *she gasps happily* Right! Phone! *she bolts out of the outhouse*

* * *

Sierra spent the rest of the night peeking into every nook and cranny of the island she could find. However, her efforts were fruitless, and by morning, she was sound asleep, bent over and into grimy trash can.

"…phone…Cody… _loooove…_ " she murmured, twitching her legs every few seconds.

The robot wheeled up to Sierra from the shade of the woods. It slid open, revealing the chubby intern inside.

He gave a thumbs up, tapping away madly on Sierra's phone, before the robot's body slid closed once more.

Duncan yawned loudly, stretching himself on the spa hotel bed. He looked over at Ezekiel, who was already dressed and ready to go.

"Huh, good morning, early bird!" he chuckled at the prairie farmer. "How long've you been up?"

"Oh, a while, eh?" Ezekiel said, opening the door to get his breakfast. "Saw the sunrise, saw the butler release some do'oves, it's the life here!"

"Man, tell me about it!" Duncan hopped off the bed and grabbed a towel. "Hey, the more we keep winning, the more we'll stay here, right?"

With one last stretch and a happy sigh, Duncan strode off towards the showers.

Gwen, who was at the breakfast table, looked at him quizzically.

"Oh-kay, what happened to _him_ last night?" she asked, stabbing her sausage link with her fork.

"Oh, he merely had his deepest secrets spilled out to those who wanted to hear it," Dawn hummed at her, sitting down at the head table position. She sighed dreamily.

"Getting clarity on what's troubling people is _marvelous…_ "

Gwen quirked an eye at her. "Uhhh…o… _kay…_ "

* * *

 **Gwen** : Right, she _might_ be our teammate, but she's still completely on another plane of existence. *she sighs* Keeping an eye on _her_ today, that's for sure.

* * *

Zoey sighed as she sat up in bed, looking over at the now uninhabited bunk towards the back.

"Ooh, someone misses her _girlfriend_ , huh?" A lilting voice came from behind Zoey, causing her to flinch and glare behind her.

"What's it to _you,_ freak?"

Justin snickered at her. "Oh, nothing! Only my greatest rival and the best—"

"Finish that sentence and I'll smear your blood all over the cabin walls."

"Oh, fine! Fine! Can't have any more damage to _this_ beaut…"

Justin motioned to his battered face, broken legs, and pulled up his shirt to reveal the scar on his chest.

"…on second thought…now that Mal's here to bolster my plans…hmmm…maybe I _will_ have a little fun…"

* * *

 **Justin** : With Mal on my side, winning the cool mil's _never_ been easier! Take him to the merge, lull him into a false sense of security, then _pow!_ *he slams his open hand with his fist* Farewell, Mal!

 **Mal** : *he chuckles, eating a bird, fresh from his fire* Oh, Justin, how _little_ you know me…heheh…no one really does. Not even Mike. And he _is_ me! I think carrying him to the final 5…hmmm, yes, that's not a bad id…

*his face starts writhing slightly, his expressions changing*

 **Manitoba** : Oy, ya bloody wankuh! I'm gonna get this body back into Mike's business, and not even the likes of you's gonna stop me!

 **Mal** : *wrenching himself back into full control* _Nnngh!_ Right…first things first… _ **Dawn.**_

* * *

"Hurry, Jo!"

"C'mon, Heather! You've been riding me for the past few days!"

"Oh, I _know._ "

Jo rolled her eyes, knowing Heather was smirking at her from above. Heather could likewise tell that her lover/rival had a mischievous grin on her face.

"Alright, team, let's get some grub!" Jo bolted up the mess hall stairs, thrust open the door, and took in a deep breath of satisfaction.

"Aah, nothing like a good workout to stretch those ol' mus-oh, hey!"

Jo noticed Chef setting up a plate on the table in back.

"Nice to see you've set us up something ni—"

Chef's ears perked up as a loud flushing sound emanated from behind him.

"Wait, uh, wh—"

"Oh, _hi!_ "

A certain voluptuous blonde wriggled out the mess hall window and landed hard on the ground head-first with a _thud_ , her legs wiggling in the air.

"Huh, I see London," Jo said, averting her eyes. "C'mon, babe, let—"

With another _thud_ , the weight on Jo's shoulders lifted, and her lover was on the ground, stunned in disbelief.

"Uhhhh…okay…" Jo gently nudged Heather with her foot.

Heather's whine was equivalent to the one from the day before, deflated balloons and all.

* * *

 **Chef** : How the heck did she come from behind the kitchen! _No one,_ unless given permission by me, is allowed back there! Heck, there isn't even a _bathroom_ back there! What _is_ this crazy chick?!

 **Lindsay** : *she takes a bite of her scrambled eggs* Mmm, tastes…eggy! Okay, so, like, Chef was all like *her face devolves into a scowl* _hey, some girl named, uh, Sarah, wants you on da show!_ And I'm like, ooh, okay! And he's like, _gotta eat food, keep yo' strength up!_ Also, he mentioned something about a blue moon! When was the moon blue? Ooh, is it cheese?! Ohmigosh, I want some cheese now! *she starts drooling slightly* Mmm…wait, I'm not Omar!

* * *

Cameron squinted as the rising sun blinded his vision. He sighed happily as he rose and stretched from his tree branch.

"Aah, rested and ready for the day! Alright, Chef, I'm ready!"

Several minutes passed in near silence; only the twittering birds were Cameron's company.

"Chef?"

No one replied.

" _Hello?!_ "

The bushes nearby him rustled slightly. Cameron started to sweat profusely.

"I'm a dead man."

* * *

 **Cameron** : So, turns out that I _wasn't_ supposed to come back from the island this morning! What gives?! You know how badly I could've died out there, right?! _Right?!_

* * *

Lindsay ate some of her toast while looking down at Heather.

"So, uh, is she _always_ this stiff?"

"Not all the time! Maybe it's you." Jo gently nudged Heather with her foot again.

"Aww, you're such a good boyfriend to her! Aww, I wish Tyler were here! Tyler? _Tyler?!_ Hel- _looooooo?_

Jo's hand met her face hard, leaving a red mark where the two connected. "Right, you _do_ realize he's not here, right?"

"Wait, _really?!_ Since when?"

Jo grimaced. "Ugh, right. Did you get _dumber_ since when you were last here?"

* * *

 **Lindsay** : Well, maybe getting blown up by mines, getting hit in the head _several_ times and getting stung by angry jellyfish does some pretty crazy things to your brain! Right? *she sheepishly grins*

* * *

"Yeah, this chick's gonna be your helper tonight…" Chef said, looking down at Heather, who was still lying on the ground.

"Let's jus' say…you're gonna need it…heheheh…"

After the rest of the contestants had had their breakfast (some good, some dreadful), the 8 lounged around the cabins, waiting to hear of any challenge news from Chris.

"Ugh, you'd think he'd _have_ something by now!" Justin groaned in disbelief, reclining on the spa hotel stairs.

"Hey, buzz off! This space is for winners _only._ "

"Ugh, fine! Party pooper."

"Sez you!"

Duncan glared at his enemy as Justin stood on his hands and walked away.

* * *

 **Justin** : Well, I'm glad Duncan's forgot all about that alliance I made with him! Unless…he's planning on screwing me over right before the merge! Gotta keep an eye on him…

 **Duncan** : So, are we allies or not, Justin? I'm willing to tolerate you, but first chance I get, you are history!

* * *

"Aww, Helga, cheer up! She'll be okay, right?"

Lindsay sat up from the infirmary gurney, looking pleadingly at Chef.

"Eh, she'll be fine, girl has a history of doin' crap like that."

"What about you, uh… _uhhhh…_ "

"Never mind the name, missy! _I'll_ keep watch over her!" Jo snapped.

* * *

 **Jo** : _Really_ , Heather? Out of all the weird things I've seen you do this season, _this_ is lame! What, are you waiting for some (she air quotes the next words) "blue harvest moon" and come out all sunshine and ra… _wait…_ that'll be interesting to see! *her eyes narrow and a wide grin spreads across her face*

* * *

"Justin, I have a plan."

"You usually do."

Justin was sitting across from Mal and his grilled animal pit. He adjusted himself uncomfortably on his tree stump and leaned in closer to listen.

"You remember that mine you were in?"

"Do I ever."

"Good. Tell you what. I want you to grab _anything_ that might be interesting down there. _**Anything.**_ "

"Oh! When would be the best time to do it?"

"Oh, during this 'blue harvest moon' Dawn's all up in arms about. Besides, good makeshift shelter for you… _and_ for me…if I need it."

* * *

 **Mal** : Spoilers, I _won't_.

 **Justin** : An offer like that? Too good to pass up…combine Cody's mechanical skills with the things I've stashed down there? I'm as good as gold, baby! *he pulls out Anne Maria's hair gel and some skin toner* Mal asked me to grab him this, too! I _think_ I know what he's going to do with it…

* * *

Cameron sighed as he made another fire hydrant for himself to hide in.

 _Guess I won't be coming back anytime soon…_

The day wore on, with no sign or sound of Chris anywhere.

"So'o, Gwen, what do'o you think the challenge will be, eh?" Ezekiel asked, leaning against the spa hotel balcony for the umpteenth time.

Gwen rolled her eyes and grumpily sighed.

"Gwen?"

* * *

 **Gwen** : Okay, so lately, I…I've been doing some thinking. It's about what I said to Eva, back during the leechball challenge. Was…was it right to tell her like that? _Was it?!_

* * *

"Oh dear, her aura's getting more disturbed than ever…"

"Oh, can it. Don't you have anything better to do?"

Dawn hummed quietly as she walked away from the sliding door.

"What's with yo'ou, Gwen? Yo'ou've been acting weird lately, eh?"

"Zeke…" Gwen sighed and stretched. "I'll talk to you about it _after_ the challenge, okay?"

"I dunno when that'll be, eh."

"Yeah, I know, but…it's complicated, Zeke."

"No wonder your aura's been shifting around a lot lately! It's like you're a different person every few minutes!"

" _What did I say?_ "

Dawn hummed away once again.

* * *

 **Dawn** : Oh, I'd _love_ to go exploring through Gwen's mind, like I did Duncan's! …now that I think about it, a _lot_ of these contestants need some deep aura reading…or therapy!

* * *

The sun was now a beautiful shade of orange, mixed with some pinks and reds, as it sank below the horizon.

Zoey looked at it from the loser cabins, sighing heavily.

"What's up with you, d…ah, dammit, can't say that around you…"

"Dollface, Duncan? Really? I expected a _little_ more creativity with your sexism…"

"Hey, you've seen more of me than most others would care to know. I'd say cool it before you upset someone—"

"Duncan, c'mon, I'm only teasing!"

"Oh. Oh, heh, right! Yeah, that's, uh, that's…"

"You don't have to hide how you feel from me, you know."

Duncan sighed and slumped forwards slightly. "Oh, right. Yeah, saw into my memories and all that…"

"Duncan, it's okay! I mean…it's giving me an idea on what to do against Mal!"

"Are you going to lecture him to death? I mean, it's effective, but…"

"Lecturing him to death won't work! He'll have an attempt on your life if you try!"

Zoey flinched as she saw Dawn teetering on the edge of the balcony.

"Wait, _do—_ "

Her worries were all for naught. Dawn gracefully floated to the ground, landing gently on the grass.

"It's as I thought! Chris plans to make the blue harvest moon our challenge tonight!"

* * *

 **Dawn** : The blue harvest moon is a rare phenomenon indeed! In a two-hour timeframe, anything can happen! Animals personalities can change, people's latent abilities can come out and play…but there's nothing to worry about! *a bird flutters in through the outhouse window* Oh, hello again, Ms. Bird! Oh, what's that? *the bird peeps at her* Oh, maybe! But I'm doubtful…

* * *

A high-pitched honking noise sounded from the Boney Island shoreline. Cameron perked up from his daze.

"Oh, finally, _Chef!_ "

"C'mon, kid! Ah, jeez, you _reek!_ What'cha been doin' here, anyway? You smell like bear piss!"

"Well, Chef, make that _two_ applications of bear urine. Anyways, as to what I've been up to…"

Cameron was still chatting animatedly to Chef as the two made it to the Wawanakwa docks. Chris and the other contestants (sans Heather) were waiting for them.

"Hey, all! So, in about 10 minutes, the blue harvest moon will come out! So, me bein—pee- _YEW,_ what is that awful _smell?!_ "

"As I told Chef, it's bear urine. Just pungent enough to let animals give you the right of way, yet—"

"Aww, don't care." Chris motioned to the rest of the Heroic Hamsters, who (save for Dawn, who smiled at him, and Ezekiel, who looked sympathetic) had similarly revolted expressions on their faces.

" _Any_ who, me, being me, thought that _this_ would be the perfect time to really test your mettle!"

"Aww, Chris, it's nice of you to think." Mal's voice rang out through the silence.

"Hey, it's what I do. So, for your next challenge, I'd like you to run through the woods and out the other side. Finish line will be on the far side of the beach over there!"

"I bet you remember that place well," Jo smirked at Mal, elbowing him in the ribs.

" _Don't_ remind me…"

* * *

 **Mal** : Yeah, that was where Chester sort of…lived. I _don't_ want to talk about it.

* * *

"So, to make this fair to all, the amount of people who've crossed the finish line at the time of the blue harvest moon ending will determine victory.

"Simply put, when the moon disappears, the team with the most members across wins immunity!

Time to make things fun _and_ difficult for some! Villains, since you lost the last challenge, your penalty tonight will be… _these!_ "

Chef pulled out 5 pairs of heavy handcuffs, along with harness and neck brace.

"Here you are, losers! These'll weigh 100 lbs all together when they're fully put on! Key's hidden somewhere in the forest if you look hard enough!"

"Seems like something we could've used for the treasure hunting challenge last season, eh, Chef?" Chris smirked as Chef attached the Villainous Vultures with their impediments.

"I'll be makin' things easier for you. A metal detector'll be attached to one of these harnesses," Chef continued, attaching the rusty apparatus to Jo's neck brace, so that it protruded above her head.

"That's for bein' best of the worst yesterday," he muttered to her.

"Right, Chris! I'm goin' to the infirmary. Lazy chick and the dumb one should be still over there.

"Besides, gives me a chance to talk to a _certain_ intern…" he said, cackling as he motored the ATV towards the infirmary.

"So, while that's going on, the Hamsters have a 3-minute head start!" Chris said. "Also, they get this handy compass and map so they know where they're going!"

"Looks like the odds are further in our favor!" Duncan sneered at Mal. "How does it feel?"

"Like a punch in the gut…but not from you."

* * *

 **Mal** : The _easiest_ way to eliminate opposition is to do it quickly. Make sure no one rises from the ashes or rebels against you. Hey, it worked in juvie…*he cackles quietly*

* * *

"Aaand _go!_ " Chris said, sounding the air horn into the darkening skies.

The Hamsters were off in a flash, with Dawn and Cameron trailing behind the rest.

"Hey, Dawn?" Cameron said, looking back at her. "What gives? I'm the weakest of the team, why are you back here?"

Dawn, however, wasn't paying much attention to him. She was looking up in the sky anxiously.

"Dawn?"

Dawn's breaths were becoming slower, in an attempt to calm her growing anxiety.

"Cameron, I feel…nervous. But I thank you for staying with me, especially with your…scent."

"What do you mean?"

"The blue harvest moon can make anything happen! For two solid hours, all bets are off!"

"Really? So, say, I'll become extremely dumb or Lindsay will become extremely smart, or…"

"Cameron, it's not that simple."

Cameron slowed down as Dawn exhaled rather sharply.

"Is…everything okay?"

"This moon isn't something that can be explained by simple logic or research! Everything I've looked up has led to mysteries shrouded in enigmas…"

"Uhhh, where are you getting at?"

"My only words for you are this: If you start noticing something going wrong, run. Run as far away from m…from anything that you can…"

Cameron's forehead was scrunched in confusion and fear. "Ex- _cuse_ me?"

* * *

 **Cameron** : So…what kind of secrets is Dawn hiding from us? *he sighs* I'll have to ask her later…

* * *

Dawn gently embraced Cameron, who squeaked hoarsely.

"You've been so good to me throughout this arduous night, o' ye of bear musk…"

"Help… _meeee…_ "

* * *

 **Cameron** : I think that was the first time someone _other_ than my mom or Sierra has ever hugged me…I can't believe I'm saying this, but it…felt _nice!_

* * *

The first beams of pale moonlight shone through the coniferous canopy. Duncan quirked an eyebrow.

"Right, uh, what gives? Wouldn't the moon be blue already?"

"Do'on't ask me, eh?" Ezekiel said, holding the map and compass in his hands. "I'm just trying to get a feel fo'or the fo'orest…"

The airhorn sounded in the distance. " _Villains, time to get going!_ " Chris's voice echoed through the forest via his megaphone.

" _You're on your own now! Good luck!_ "

Zoey gasped and panted behind the other 3 contestants as the weight of her gear took its toll.

"Hey… _wait!_ "

" _Sorry,_ toots…guess you should've spent less time (Mal inflected the next words in a way that simulated air quotes) 'fighting the patriarchy…' and _more_ time at the _gym!_ "

"Ha!" Jo chuckled. "All we really need is Heather and we're good as set!"

* * *

With one last _click_ , Chef had locked Heather's harness onto her.

"Alright, blue moon's comin' any minute now, so how's about you…ah…damn…"

The pale moonlight was now starting to turn a slight shade of blue.

Mal smirked as he saw the streams of moonlight turn blue. "Here we go…"

Dawn hadn't let go of Cameron in the interim. Her eyes, however, were gazing at the pale blue moon.

"Dawn? We have a challenge to complete!" Cameron struggled to remove himself from her embrace.

"Dawn?"

Dawn's fingers gripped Cameron's shoulders tightly, her nails boring through his hood and piercing his skin.

" _Dawn!_ "

Dawn's breathing was now becoming more ragged and raspy. A green aura emanated from her body, undulating along her outline slowly and peacefully.

" _Let go of m—_ "

What came out of Dawn's mouth next made any further activity from Cameron cease.

A loud, piercing wail emanated from her, just as raspy as her breaths, creating an unnatural, unnerving, sound.

" _ **AAAAAAAAAAAAGH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**_ "

Dawn jerked her head back so that she was now seeing eye-to-eye with Cameron. The latter gasped and tried to break free again, but to no avail.

Dawn's eyes were a pale green, similar to her aura. Her tendons twitched against her face and her breath was ragged.

"Dawn, _pl—_ "

A wave of pure power washed over Cameron, engulfing him in mental anguish. He yelled loudly, writhing in severe pain, as his vision was blinded with the same shade of green.

 _No, no, no! This…this isn't how it's supposed to end!_

Dawn's aura flared across the ground, creating cracks and grooves across it. The pressure and force of her aura caused the ground below the pair to give way, creating a small crater.

Mal grimaced as he saw the green flare rising in the distance. His hands instinctively balled themselves into fists.

 _She won't get the better of me this time…_

 _But_ _ **I'll**_ _say she will!_

Mal winced as Manitoba resurfaced in his mind. "What!?"

"You say something back there?" Jo asked from up ahead.

" _Can it!_ "

"Yeesh, _fine._ Just looking out for a teammate is all…"

From out of the corner of his eye, Mal saw Justin ready to lob the makeup he needed at him.

 _Go for it…_

Justin did so immediately, then broke formation.

"Huh! Wonder where he's going?" Jo said, looking at the handwalker heading off towards another part of the woods.

"Honestly, splitting up might not be a bad idea. Let's say that some animals _might_ be a little peckish…" Mal said, chuckling slightly.

"Oh, right! Makes us less of a bigger target! Great idea, Mal!"

* * *

 **Jo** : The _only_ great idea he's ever had so far! _Ha!_

 **Mal** : *he sprays the hair gel on his hair, shaping it to be like Mike's, while applying the skin toner to the shadows below his eyes* So…let's get interesting! *he clears his throat* Hi, I'm Mike! It's _so_ great to be back! *he coughs slightly and reverts to his usual voice* Needs some work…

* * *

Heather's eyes snapped open. However, something seemed different about her…

"Hel- _lo,_ Lindsay!" Heather was up and ready in a flash, almost oblivious of her 100 lb. garments.

Lindsay gasped.

" _Helga!_ When…when did you become…so _nice?!_ "

* * *

 **Lindsay** : Okay, so I _really_ like this nice Helga now…I wonder if we're BFFs now?! Aww, like…the tan one and…the _not_ tan one! _Yeeeeee!_ *her expression changes to one of confusion* Was that right? Did they do it like that?

* * *

Chris yelped as several small birds dove towards his hair, their beaks looking sharper than usual.

"Aah! _AAH!_ Not here! _Not here!_ Chef, someone, _heeeeeeeeelp!_ "

Chef was facing a few problems of his own.

"Alright, ya dang gerbils, get _outta_ here!"

A pack of squirrels, who were glaring at him from the base of the tree, started scampering up to the branch that Chef was on. The latter's pupils turned to pinpricks.

"Aight…this ain't good."

Sierra yelped loudly as a horde of angry chipmunks nipped at her legs and exposed midriff.

" _Curse…you…belly…shirt!_ Ow!" she yelped, as bits of trash fell to the ground from the can covering her head and upper torso.

" _Cam? Cody? Camody! Phone! Cammy phone! Where are you?!_ "

Cameron was in no state to hear anything anymore. Dawn's mental grip had fully taken hold of him.

His assailant was panting and gasping, drool dripping from her exposed teeth and onto Cameron's body.

Suddenly, she sniffed the air. Something seemed wr—

With a forceful _thwack_ , a bear had freed Cameron from his attacker. Grabbing his hood by his teeth, it then sprinted off on all fours.

Dawn rubbed the gash that had now sprouted on her cheek, growling menacingly at the pair.

Then, she stopped. Her ears perked.

A small _crunch_ came from her left side.

Dawn's aura flared slightly, causing a small airburst around her. She snarled slightly.

" _Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllllllllll…_ "

Mal, in the distance, visibly flinched. His hands shook slightly as he applied another layer of hair gel.

 _Shit. She's noticed m—_

With a powerful burst of speed, Dawn propelled herself forwards towards her next victim. She floated ominously above the ground, her aura flaring ever greater.

 _No, no, no…_

In what seemed to be a matter of instants, Dawn was floating in front of him. Her eyes were as pale green as ever, and her hair rippled slightly due to her aura. Her cheek wound was being stitched together by small tendrils, stitching themselves tighter and tighter, until the wound disappeared without a trace.

"D…Hey, Dawn! It's, uh, me! Mike! Remember? Your, uh, _boy—_ "

The next scream that came out of Dawn caused her aura to flare more fiercely than it had ever had before. It cracked the ground severely, caused the surrounding trees to shake wildly from the aura's force, and blew away any loose rocks, twigs, and flora.

Mal opened his eyes after the onslaught was over. Gashes had formed on his face and body; the rocks and twigs had torn through his shirt to cause more cuts.

 _What in th—_

Any thoughts he would have had disappeared in another instant. The mental tendrils had formed again, digging deep into any crevice and corner of his mind.

Mal moaned slightly as his vision became obscured by the same pale green that had engulfed Cameron.

Minutes and seconds now felt like abstract concepts. There was no past, present, or future now. There just _was._

Then, in the green haze, some faces started to form. Four rather familiar faces…

 _Ah, yeah! We're back out again, dangnabbit! All that's left is to get ridda this loon!_

 _Ey, yo, I wasn't complainin'! Lookit the thoughts he had about that blondie chick! I coulda been there for_ _ **years!**_

 _Ah, bah! It feels so vunderbar to stretch my imaginary legs again!_ _Spaseeba za pomashch, whoever saved us!_

 _Huh…this was Dawn…what's going on? I feel a lot of…_ _ **green**_ _…_

Almost as quickly as it started, the tendrils vanished. Mal gasped as he regained consciousness.

"Wh…wh… _what?!_ "

Dawn was floating in front of him, radiating the pale green aura. She smiled.

Her smile wasn't the peaceful, serene smile that Dawn was known for. This smile exposed her teeth, which seemed to appear sharper and bloodier the longer it was held.

Mal's breathing had quickened now. _This…this_ _ **wasn't**_ _supposed to happen!_

 _Ah, can it, ya ninny! Be thankful you're not alone after a year of us mullin' in your subconscious!_

 _Ha! See that, Mal? All of us wily dingoes'll beat your brain into solid vegemite! That'll show 'im!_

Mal glared his fiercest glare at Dawn.

"This… _ **this**_ is why I wanted you dead…and by _God_ , I'll do _anything_ now to make sure it happen—"

Dawn's right ear twitched. She sniffed the air again.

Within moments, she disappeared with yet another airburst. Dust and loose stones flew behind her.

Mal coughed and gagged, but was unable to bring his hands to his throat to clutch it. He took several deep gulps of air and clutched his knees.

"What _is_ that girl…?"

* * *

 **Mal** : Never seen this side of her, obviously. *he grins* I like it. Well, save for the whole "personality-freeing" aspect of it…

* * *

A crackling sound emitted throughout the forest.

" _Okay, so, uh, campers,_ " Chris said, with an air of panic in his voice, _"this_ might've _been pretty dangerous tonight! Unfortunately, unlike_ some _other challenges, I can't stop this one! Moon's still blue!_

" _Tell you what! I'll add in some extra incentive for you guys! First person to cross the finish line for each team can have any reasonable request they'd like! Neat, huh?"_

"Ugh, _finally!_ " Jo scoffed, sweat forming on her pits and neck areas. "Time to kick things up a notch!"

* * *

 **Jo** : Well, not like the notch wasn't _kicked_ up already, right? Those animals, whoo, they'll take a bite outta ya if you're not careful! Ha, stupid moon!

* * *

Justin had made it to the mouth of his former home in the mineshaft.

"Finally…let's see what we have here…" he murmured to himself.

Carefully dragging himself down by his hands, Justin squinted as it grew darker and darker.

"Hmmm…"

One hand vault later, Justin was back in his old abode. He sniffed the air.

"Hasn't changed a bit, I see…"

* * *

 **Justin** : Ah, memories. Hopefully what I need is still down here…

* * *

Justin handwalked over to the device that powered his makeshift bomb two years ago, which was now covered with large boulders.

He looked at his hands, his harness, then back at the rocks.

 _Let's do this._

* * *

Heather was prancing merrily along a grassy cliffside, with Lindsay trotting by her side.

"Aww, look at you!" she cooed to her former frenemy. "You're so _cute!_ "

"I know, right, Lindsay? It's such a _gorgeous_ , blue night out!"

"I know, right? Honestly, I really _should_ try this shade of blue on me one day! It's so…calm!"

"You'll look _beautiful!_ I just _know_ you- _OOF!_ "

Heather rammed head-first into her belle.

"Hey, watch it! …Oh, hey!" Jo's grimace soon turned into a smile.

"Aww, hi, uhhh…Hoe? Is that your name? Hoe?"

"Nope, nope, and nope! We're _not_ going there!"

"Aww, but it's _such_ a cute name! I _really_ like it on you!"

Jo immediately gripped Heather by the black ring on her halter top.

" _I know what you're doing, got it?_ _ **Watch what you say.**_ "

Heather's eyes narrowed. She smirked at her rival/lover.

" _I knew you would._ "

Lindsay clapped her hands to her cheeks as Heather and Jo started making out in front of her.

"Ohmigosh, she really _is_ a ho— _AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_ "

Heather smirked evilly at Lindsay as she fell off the cliff, bringing her foot back to the ground.

* * *

 **Heather** : And _that's_ for being annoying! Ha! Revenge feels _so_ sweet!

* * *

Cameron weakly opened his eyes. He gasped as he felt the wind brush against his nicks and cuts, as well as his hands gripping bristly brown fur.

"Wait… _where am I?!_ "

A murmur came from in front of him. Cameron scratched his head.

"Wait, uh…are you, uh, a…"

The bear turned its head around to look at him, a puzzled look on its face.

"Wait, _what?!_ " _GET ME OFF OF THIS THING!_ "

Almost as if someone was listening to him from afar, someone did get him off of the bear.

Someone with a green, radiating aura and flowing blonde hair.

Cameron yelled loudly, but his yell was drowned out by Dawn's third howl of the night.

Ezekiel skidded to a halt. "Guys, did yo'ou hear that, eh?!"

Gwen didn't slow down or stop, but Duncan did.

"You don't think…?"

"That's Dawn, eh?! What if she's hurt? O'or hurting so'omeone else?!"

Duncan rubbed the back of his neck, which was slowly becoming covered in a thin layer of sweat. "I, uh, uhhhh…"

"I'm go'oing back there, eh?! No'o teammate left behind!"

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : It's what Brick wo'ould've wanted, eh?!

* * *

Cameron's eyes snapped open again. The back of his head was bleeding; the force of Dawn's yell had launched him off the bear and thrown backwards into a tree.

He winced as he saw Dawn's aura had changed slightly. It had grown small tendrils, which were wrapped tightly around the bear like rope.

Dawn glared at the animal that had hurt her. The bear was doing its best to avoid her gaze, which was difficult: Dawn had hoisted it into the air so that they were seeing eye-to-eye.

"D…Dawn, wai…"

Dawn's growl was low and threatening. Her teeth were bared, and her aura flared wildly.

The bear writhed in Dawn's grip, the tendrils digging through its fur and slicing its skin, causing nicks and scratches to appear on it, too.

" _Dawn! Stop!_ "

Dawn made no sound, but her tendrils moved at a blinding speed.

The bear disappeared in a burst of blood, some of which splattered on Dawn's face. The bear slid out of Dawn's grip, covered in gashes. Its breathing became labored; it was having difficulty opening its eyes and moving.

Dawn's sadistic grin was back in full force. Her eyes turned and locked onto Cameron.

Cameron gasped, as his pupils shrank.

Dawn's pale green eyes were no longer blank, but now had irises and pupils in them. They appeared to be Dawn's normal eyes, but the irises were redder and the pupils stared into Cameron's soul.

"No… _Dawn, please…_ "

Dawn slowly floated towards him, her tendrils waving ominously in the pale blue moonlight. Small drops of blood cascaded from their tips.

Cameron shut his eyes tight, fearing what would come next.

" _Yo'ou're not go'onna hurt him anymo'ore, eh!_ "

A medium-sized rock hit the back of Dawn's head with a loud _thwack_ , causing her to visibly flinch. She rapidly turned around.

Ezekiel, panting slightly and sweating, was picking up more stones and sticks, to use as ammo against Dawn.

Cameron gasped, due to his pain, surprise, and fear.

"Ezekiel, _no!_ Stay away! It's not safe!"

"I'm not go'onna leave you behind here, eh?! That's not what a hero does!"

Dawn's tendrils snaked towards her new prey. She started to growl loudly.

"Don't worry, I've got you!"

With a yelp, Cameron was picked up by another savior.

He looked up at him. It couldn't be: that hair, the lack of eye shadow, the voice…

" _Mike?!_ "

* * *

 **Cameron** : He's back?! _Mike's back?!_ Wait…is this Mal duping me? *he sighs* I _gotta_ keep a better eye on him! See what he does!

* * *

"Oh, thank goodness you're okay, Cameron!"

"Mike" dropped Cameron rather roughly a few kilometers away. He then braced himself on a tree, panting and gasping due to the combined weight.

"Whoo, man, you're…you're heavy…"

Cameron looked at the sweating Mike. Something seemed a little…off…

" _What do you think you're doing with Mike,_ _ **Mal?!**_ "

* * *

 **Cameron** : Of _course!_ Using Anne Maria's old supplies…or maybe even Justin's…he took advantage of the fact that the luggage goes out a few days after elimination! Aagh, Mal, you manipulative _devil!_ *he glares at the camera and slams his fist down on his opened hand* That's it! I'm bringing Mike back, one way or another! Mark my words, _Mal!_

* * *

Mal grinned savagely. His skin toner was washing off, revealing the bags under his eyes.

"Oh, _well done,_ Cam…honestly, if this were another universe, you'd be guessing non-stop until I finally stabbed you in your cold, hard back…

Cameron's breathing quickened. "That…that won't happen now! I'll…I'll fight you! Right here, right now!"

With each successive word, Mal's face leaned closer and closer towards Cameron's. "Oh, _fight_ me? For what? The stunt I pulled on you during the leechball challenge? Let's face it, Cam, you will never, _ever,_ stand a chance agains— _NNGH!_ "

In a flash, Cameron had pulled out Duncan's pocketknife from his hoodie and struck Mal across the face with the blade. Mal grunted in pain as he clutched the fresh wound on his lower jawline, which was starting to bleed copiously.

"You damn _bastard!_ First Dawn, now you?! I was right…I was _extremely_ right…the weaklings _will_ rebel against me…time to settle the sco—"

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_ "

Duncan swung in on a nearby tree branch, slamming Mal hard in the chest as he flung himself off and forwards.

"'Sup, worst nightmare?" he scoffed at him. "Nice night to knock some heads!"

Mal grimaced as Duncan cracked his knuckles. "So, it's a brawl you want, eh? I'll be _sure_ to give you just what you want…heheheh…"

Duncan held his hand out to Cameron, who immediately threw the pocketknife to him. He opened it and brandished it at his enemy.

"Alright, I like these odds! You're all bound up and injured and I'm hot off the presses!"

" _Speaking_ of presses…" Cameron muttered, as he pulled the map and compass from Duncan's rear pocket. "I'm…gonna go."

" _No, you won't._ "

Mal was grinning down at him, hunched over slightly due to his shackles. The effect was unnerving; the bags under his eyes became more pronounced and the increased shadows danced around his face.

"You think I'd forgive someone who swiped my face like that? _No._ You're going to stay _right here_ and—"

A fierce headbutt from Duncan stopped Mal's threats.

" _That's_ for Chef!" the juvie punk snapped, knife flashing in the green light. "Now _this…_ _ **this**_ is for me!"

Cameron didn't want to hear another word; he bolted away from Duncan as fast as his legs would carry him.

* * *

 **Cameron** : *he gasps and pants* What kind of messed up night is this, anyway?!

* * *

Jo's ears perked up as she heard a slight crackling sound from her metal detector.

"Do I sense a key? Hmmm…"

"Ooh, a key? Key to what? Key to Helga's heart? Is it a ring? Is it a _diamond_ ring?! _AAAAAAAH!_ "

Both Heather and Jo yelled loudly as Lindsay popped up from behind them.

" _What the hell?!_ " Heather snapped at her, " _you were supposed to be dead!_ "

"Aww, why are you not _nice_ anymore? I liked the _nice_ He…Heath… _who_ are you again?"

"I'm Heather! _Heather!_ You know, the one who asked you for an alliance back in Season 1?! Because you were _useless?!_ "

"Wait…useless? I'm not useless!"

"Oh, trust me, you were! I needed lackeys who would follow _everything_ I said and let _me_ coast to the finals!"

" _Psst, why are you_ _ **telling**_ _her all this?!_ " Jo hissed in Heather's ear. " _She's not_ _ **that**_ _dumb!_ "

Lindsay's eyes were twinkling with tears. "You…you _really_ mean that?"

"Uh, _yeah._ "

Lindsay dug her nails into her clenched fists, drawing blood. "You…you really _are_ mean! I stood up for you after the show because I thought you actually _cared_ about me! But…everything I knew…was _wrong!_ "

* * *

 **Lindsay** : That's _that!_ I'm going to take her out if it's the last thing I do! But first…*she starts beeping out a number on her cell phone* Hello, Tyler, babe? Yeah, it's me, Lindsay! Hi! Yeah, I _really_ want to start working out with you and stuff! This mean girl's going _down._

* * *

Zoey was lying on the ground, drenched in sweat. Her legs were burning; she had never done this much rigorous activity in her entire life.

 _Must…must find…team!_

Zoey grunted as she slowly crawled along the ground with her arms, but her harness held her back.

 _Come…on…nearly…_

"…mmy! Camody! _CAM-ODYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!_ "

 _Sierra?!_

"Hel- _looooo?_ Hello?! Phone? Camdy? _HELLO?!_ "

 _Oh, God, please don't let her notice me…_

Unfortunately for Zoey, Sierra's voice grew louder and louder.

"Ooh, a forest! I wonder what's in here! _HEL-LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_ "

Zoey shrugged her shoulders vigorously, attempting to cover her ears, but to no avail.

 _God dammit, no…_

"Oh, _hey!_ Let me help you up!"

Zoey yelped. "But… _how did you get here?!_ "

"Oh, it's no big deal! The animals pecked me and scratched me and bit me and—"

"That's, uh… _what?_ "

Zoey noticed that Sierra's eyes were drifting in and out of focus slightly and her skin was looking paler.

"Oh, crap, you're losing blood!"

"Loss, schmoss, let's go!"

Zoey yelled again as Sierra picked her up, bridal-style.

"Onward, men!"

"I'm a wo—"

" _SILENCE, WEAKLING!_ "

Zoey held on for dear life as Sierra sprinted deeper into the woods.

* * *

 **Zoey** : I _really_ need to start fending for myself…I mean, look at _Duncan._ He's had all this emotional baggage and he's doing pretty alright! …Right? *she quirks an eyebrow in confusion*

* * *

Ezekiel was sweating, clutching on to his remaining cache of rocks and sticks.

 _How much lo'onger can I last, eh?_

He leaned back against the tree and took a deep breath, ignoring the green aura flaring to life once again behind him.

Dawn growled loudly, which slowly transitioned into another one of her screams. The scream sent powerful bursts of aura all around the area; the tree Ezekiel was hiding behind rocked dangerously.

Ezekiel looked at what he had left. He had to do _something._

 _It's either fight or flight, eh, and I'm not go'onna stay 'round here for much longer!_

Thankfully, Dawn's scream freed several loose twigs and branches of pine needles, which fell to the ground. Ezekiel grinned as he examined his options.

 _I've got so'omething to use, eh?!_

The tendrils around Dawn lashed out around her furiously, creating deep gashes in the surrounding trees.

She sniffed the air, then lashed all her tendrils forward at the tree in front of her.

The effect was immediate. The tree was cleanly sliced in two, and a tendril barely missed the top of Ezekiel's toque.

His eyes widened in fear.

 _Probably should've mo'oved, eh?_

Dawn screamed once more, causing Ezekiel to clutch his ears. Her scream reached to the edges of the forest, causing Sierra to flinch slightly, Mal to grin devilishly, Cameron to stagger mid-run, and Gwen to skid to a halt.

"Huh! Think they're okay?" Jo asked, picking through the bushes and branches.

"Who cares? It's not us!" Heather, who wasn't far behind, scoffed at her.

Gwen's breath quickened as she looked around in her bluish surroundings. No one was there.

"Hello? _Hello!_ Anyone? _Zeke? Cameron?_ _ **Duncan?**_ "

The only reply was a hoarse yell and a small green flare appearing from far away on her left side.

"Oh, God…is that Dawn?!"

* * *

 **Gwen** : What… _what did I miss?!_

* * *

"Gwen, _we gotta get out of here!_ "

"Cameron?!"

Gwen screeched to another stop after seeing her teammate. "Wait, are you okay? _Are you okay?!_ "

"Gwen, calm down, please! I'm fine, but Duncan's fighting Mal and Zeke's saved me from Da—"

"Zeke? And _Dawn?!_ No, no, _no!_ Cameron, I _need_ to go back! I'm sorry!"

Cameron looked behind him, exhaling deeply. "Alright, but…I'm going with you."

* * *

 **Cameron** : After the events of tonight, _no one's_ going _anywhere_ alone anymore.

* * *

As Gwen and Cameron hurried back to the scene of destruction, the loudspeaker crackled on.

" _Uh, hey, campers, I, uh, have good news! You've survived the first hour of your blue harvest moon! Ha! Well, uh, no one's made it to the finish yet, so, uh—AAAAAAGH! –whew, false alarm! Anywho, enjoy your next hour and_ hopefully _someone will cross that finish line!_ "

Justin's ear twitched at the announcement. "Good."

With a loud grunt, he moved the last heavy rock out of the way, revealing the wrecked computer underneath. Nearby, lay two distinctive items. They were broken and damaged, yes, but there was no mistaking them.

" _I've found you…_ " Justin smirked, picking up Trent's bracelets, which shone slightly in what little light there was.

* * *

 **Justin** : With Cody's technology, these… *he holds up the bracelets* …will bring us victory! *he sighs happily* Thanks, Trent!

* * *

Swiftly, Justin clambered back up the mineshaft, bracelets clamped in his mouth.

 _Onwards…_

Justin's ally was still in the thick of battle with his old-time underling.

"Seems like you've got some more bite in you, Duncan," he smirked, dodging a straight right and leaning backwards to barely avoid his knife thrust. "I've gained a little more respect for you! Heh…"

"Oh, _can_ it!" Duncan snapped at him. "I've got you right where I want you!"

Mal noticed the sweat sliding down Duncan's face, dampening his shirt. His eyes narrowed.

"Oh, _really?_ _I_ think you're getting a little… _tired…_ "

"Not as tired as y—"

Duncan's taunt stopped as his mouth dropped open.

Mal turned his head around. His eyes widened significantly.

Down, down, down came a pine tree nearby them, until it fell next to them with a loud _CRASH_. In the distance, they could see Ezekiel cowering and Dawn's aura flaring up once more.

"Ooh, _ominous_ ," Mal chuckled, turning back towards Duncan. "What'cha gonna do about that, hmm?"

"I'm more concerned about that extra weight you're lugging around," Duncan scoffed at him without hesitation. "I mean, I've got the advantage, but, heh, you're doing pretty well for yourse…wait."

Mal took advantage of Duncan's brief pause. Rushing forwards, he headbutted Duncan hard in the chest, causing him to lurch backwards and fling his pocketknife into the air.

" _That's_ for doing the same to me…" he said, staring at the knife as it spun in the air towards him. "I think it's game, set m—"

A powerful left hook slammed into Mal's cheek, sending him reeling. Duncan's other hand grabbed the knife blade side down and plunged it deep into Mal's shoulder.

" _GGGGH!_ Damn…that was… _that was good._ " Mal's eye was becoming bloodshot and his grin was widening.

Duncan noticed Mal's eye was rapidly shifting to his right side, then his left.

 _Good! He's trying to find an escape route!_

"Shame that you've got me _right_ where I want you…"

Duncan slumped forward slightly as his arm, which was still attached to the knife, was pulled down by Mal bending backwards, like one would do when doing the limbo.

 _Alright, wh…_

In one swift motion, Mal had kneed Duncan as hard as he could in the groin. He grinned madly as he heard Duncan cry out in extreme pain.

" _Gotcha…_ "

Duncan's legs wobbled as he struggled to stay up. His eyes watered.

 _Alright, c'mon, Duncan, it's just a little pain…_ just _a little pain…_

Duncan yelled again as a powerful arm rammed into the back of his knees. Duncan was on his back in an instant, staring eye to eye with a grinning Justin.

 _Oh, no…_

"Hey, Mal… _catch._ " Justin coolly tossed the bracelets at Mal, who caught them the best he could with his impeded movement.

"Alright, let's see what these babies can do…"

With some difficulty, Mal pulled out the laser pointer from his pants pocket. He set it to "Modify".

" _Welcome, Cody, what may I do for you today?_ "

"Hmmm, let's fix these babies right up…" Mal smirked, holding the bracelets across from the pointer.

" _Affirmative. Repairing and reconfiguring now._ "

* * *

 **Mal** : *he laughs loud and long* Seriously, Cody?! No security check on that thing? C'mon…I _know_ you're better than that…

* * *

With a loud _whirr_ , the bracelets repaired itself, powering on and creating a small charge at the release point.

"Also…let's make these operate even _if_ they're not connected to someone's wrists…and let's make it so _anyone's_ thoughts can activate these…"

" _Affirmative. Configuring now._ "

Justin smirked as his elbow pinned down Duncan, who was struggling to get free.

"Dammit…Mal…I'll stop you, one way or another!"

"Oh, I doubt that…" Mal smirked as he yanked out Duncan's pocketknife from his shoulder, causing a spurt of blood to run down his shirt and drip onto the ground.

"See, all you were to me was a way to buy some time…and now, I'm off…"

" _Mal! WAIT!_ "

Cameron gasped and panted as he braced himself on his knees. Gwen, however, bolted ahead.

"Gwen, _DON'T!_ " Duncan gasped as Justin's elbow dug deeper into his chest cavity.

"Can it, you…"

"Justin, I _trust_ you'll clean up house here…" Mal said, slowly walking towards the green aura. "I've got some unfinished business…"

"No…*gasp*… _don't…_ "

"What are _you_ going to do about it, _bubble brat?_ "

Cameron couldn't speak; he was so out of breath.

" _I thought so…_ "

* * *

Ezekiel cowered nearby the fallen tree.

 _Oh, God, I'm go'onna die, eh?_

He nervously turned around to see what his last image would be.

Dawn's aura had manifested more tendrils, which were slowly rippling in the air. Her breathing was as ragged and raspy as ever.

However, what Ezekiel didn't notice was a certain bedraggled bruin climbing the slashed tree behind Dawn, until…

With a loud roar, the bear Dawn injured slammed down onto her, causing her to plunge into the ground and pierce the hard earth.

Ezekiel watched incredulously as the bear smacked and stomped Dawn, roaring louder with each blow. Its great maw opened and it made for her neck…

 _Can't waste time now, eh?!_

Ezekiel bound up a bendy pine branch with a straight, sturdy branch, creating a makeshift bow.

 _Wish it were bigger, but what can yo'ou do, eh?_

He took a sharp stick and nocked it onto his "bow", making sure the sharp end was pointed right at the teen getting bludgeoned by a bear. His nerves were on edge and his breathing was shaky.

 _THWUCK._

Ezekiel's eyes widened as Dawn's tendrils shot straight up in the air, skewering the bear in two different spots: one on its shoulder and one near its kidneys. The bear roared loudly, writhing in pain.

Dawn snarled as she rose into the air once again. Ezekiel jumped into action.

 _Now's my chance!_

He shot the stick, breathing a small sigh of relief as it shot, straight and true, into Dawn's left shoulder.

Dawn wailed as the stick embedded itself into her flesh. She glared daggers at Ezekiel, her warped eyes flaring at him.

 _Well, it was fun, eh?_

A powerful blast interrupted Dawn's roaring rampage of revenge. It just barely missed her right cheek, boring into the tree directly behind her.

"Well, well…these bracelets are _marvelous…_ " Mal snickered. " _Oh?_ What do we have here?"

He noticed the stick in Dawn's arm, which was wiggling free thanks to her smaller tendrils.

His grin grew savagely wide.

"Right…let's end this, _Dawn._ "

" _ZEKE!_ "

Ezekiel gasped as he saw Gwen standing there in front of him, incredulous.

" _Gwen?!_ "

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : I thought she wo'ould've go'one to the finish line already, eh?!

* * *

"C'mon! We're leaving _now!_ "

"I can't, eh?! Dawn's o'our friend!"

"Yeah, and she's…" Gwen ducked as a tendril lashed out above her. "She's _not_ in a right state of mind right now!"

"I'm not leaving, eh?"

" _I_ say you are!"

"And _I_ say—"

" _Oh, ladies._ " Mal's grin widened as the two bracelets he held in his hands glowed fiercely.

"I think a little smattering of _death_ will sort this Dawn problem out…"

Dawn reflexively jerked her head towards Mal. Her eyes narrowed.

" _Nnnnnnnnnghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…_ "

"…and _why_ would you _ever_ want to stay here and _help_ this beast?!"

"Because she's o'our teammate, too, eh? Mo'ore a team player than yo'ou've been being lately!"

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : *he gasps and claps his hands to his mouth* Oh, _dammit,_ eh! _Nooooooo!_

* * *

"You know what? _Fine._ _ **I'll**_ be heading to the finish line with Cameron like _real_ team players would."

"Wa-wa-wait! _Gwen! I'm so'orry, eh!_ "

Ezekiel reached out pleadingly as he saw the love of his life turn 180 degrees and skulk off into the woods.

He didn't notice the tears running down her face.

* * *

 **Gwen** : *she sniffs and coughs slightly, wiping her face* Look at me. I'm worried about what I said to Eva, my alliance with her is shot, and now my own boyfriend's slipping away from me! …what did I _do_ this time…*her eyes well up again*

* * *

" _NnnnnnnNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_ "

Dawn yelled again, her tendrils whizzing through the air, but it was too late.

His grin wide and his eyes bloodshot and twinkling, Mal let the bracelets launch their beams of energy straight for Dawn's chest.

" _DON'T YOU DARE!_ "

Cameron grabbed Mal's knees as he tackled him, causing Mal to slip to the ground and the bracelets to rotate upwards.

This caused the combined beam to jerk to the upper-right.

Cameron watched in horror as the beam sliced Dawn from her chest cavity, up through her heart, and lopped off her left arm.

"Oh God… _WHYYYY!?_ "

* * *

 **Cameron** : I…I killed… _I KILLED DAWN! WHY?!_

* * *

Mal's laugh was subtle and low, but it grew in intensity and volume, until it echoed all around the area.

Cameron's eyes were wide. _What now…I…oh, God, I…I'm a murderer!_

Dawn just floated there, dazed. Her aura still undulated, as calm as it ever was.

Cameron's mouth then dropped swiftly, softly smacking the ground.

"Wh… _what?!_ "

The smaller tendrils were back, knitting Dawn's gaping wounds together so that they never existed. It even created new clothing where none had existed before. Lastly, the tendrils started to move down the space where Dawn's arm used to be, writhing madly.

"Well, _this_ is different…" Mal mused, lowering the bracelets.

With one final effort, Dawn's arm had re-grown itself from nothing, clothing and all. Dawn was now whole and unharmed.

However, this was only on a physical level.

Dawn started to moan. It started at a low pitch, then grew in intensity. Her tendrils disappeared and her aura grew thicker and more potent, causing those nearby to become short of breath.

"What… _what…_ " Cameron could barely say anything now due to his adrenaline running out and Dawn's suffocating aura enveloping him.

Mal said nothing, but stared at her, mesmerized.

Ezekiel was coughing slightly and holding onto his toque behind his tree stump.

The tendrils once more shot out of Dawn's thickening aura, just above her arms. They then started weaving in and out amongst each other, until they had created a pair of angelic wings.

Mal's eyes widened slightly.

* * *

 **Mal** : Hmm, looks like Dawn's the savior of all animals, hmm? _That_ makes sense…heheheh…

* * *

Mal took in as deep a breath as he could due to the thickening energy surrounding the area. Dawn's aura grew ever fiercer, and her teeth were gritted together.

With a low growl, Dawn's extra aura shot out like an explosion, reaching further out into the woods.

Mal quirked an eyebrow as it passed over him, and his smirk vanished when he realized nothing had happened to him.

Cameron was still collapsed on the ground.

Then, Mal saw them.

Rows upon rows of rabbits, raccoons, skunks, and squirrels, eyes glowing a steady green, all glaring at him.

"Well, well…"

Ezekiel's eyes widened at this.

 _I'm dead, eh!_

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : Looks like I'm never getting o'out of this one alive, eh? *he starts scribbling out his will*

 **Cameron** : Well…*he sighs* what's the _worst_ that can happen?

* * *

Chris breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the loud pecks and squawks coming from outside the announcer's booth vanished.

Chef, who had been herded into the mess hall by several angry squirrels, looked in confusion as the wave washed over them, bathing their eyes in green and causing them to scamper off.

* * *

 **Chef** : What the _hell_ was that?!

* * *

" _CHRIS!_ "

Chris yelped as the announcement booth's door was slammed down by an irate Chef.

"Aww, come _on,_ the animals are gone! I'm _fine._ "

"That don't matter! We gotta rescue these kids!"

Chris sighed. "Ughhhh, really? But my perm!"

Chef glared at him. "Fine, then _I'll_ do it!"

* * *

"Put me down! _Now!_ "

Zoey grunted and strained against Sierra's firm grip as she sprinted towards the green light.

"No can do! Camdy needs my help!"

With a small squeal of determination, Sierra's eyes narrowed and she ran even faster.

" _FOR CAMMY!_ "

Cameron, in the distance, heard this, and groaned slightly.

 _I'm dead…_

* * *

 **Cameron** : So, my choices are death by Dawn or death by Sierra's "love". *he sighs* Mom, if you're watching this…please get me a coffin!

* * *

Hordes among hordes of animals scampered towards Ezekiel, Mal, and Cameron. The former yelled, stood up, and ran right for Cameron.

" _C'mon, eh! We gotta get outta here!_ "

"…Can't! …Must…save… _Dawn!_ "

"Oh, she's _not_ being saved…"

Now that the suffocating aura had vanished, Mal could speak fully once again.

"Believe me, I've come _far_ too far to fail now…I think another blast to her brain should take her out for good…"

As he said this, the bracelets started charging up again.

"Zeke… _ZEKE!_ " Cameron's full voice had returned, as did some of his adrenaline. "Stop him! _STOP HIM! PLEASE!_ "

With a small grunt, Cameron was on his feet once again. Ezekiel nodded and turned on his foot, fist raised.

 _POW!_

A deft uppercut from his right side flung Ezekiel away from his target. An instant later, a powerful hand had gripped the front of his hoodie and smashed him into a nearby tree.

"Game, set, _match._ " Justin's eyes twinkled menacingly and his grin shone in the green-blue light.

"Mal, Duncan's currently unconscious. Can't seem to breathe well right now."

" _Perfect._ " The bracelets were soon ready to launch once more.

"Farewell, D—"

A loud yell came from his left side. Cameron leapt from where he was and landed on top of Mal's shoulders, punching every square inch of his head and neck as he could.

"You-mon- _ster-_ you-won't- _make-this-situation-_ _ **worse!**_ "

Mal grunted slightly at each punch was thrown at him after every word. "Well, _this_ is annoying…"

However, Cameron's onslaught had impeded Mal's limited vision from what was really coming towards him.

With a mighty _thwack_ , Justin was downed in one belly shot from the disheveled bear. It then picked up Ezekiel, threw it onto its back, and tackled Mal full-force in his harness.

Mal gasped in pain, dropping the bracelets onto the ground. As they fell, they released their second laser beam, slicing the right side of the nearest tree, causing it to topple right on top of Dawn and blocking some of her animal onslaught.

The bear trampled over Mal, who immediately clutched onto its hind leg and clambered on behind Ezekiel. The bear picked up Cameron by his hoodie and refused to let go.

" _It's not over yet, weaklings!_ " The pocketknife glistened in the pale blue moonlight, ready to stab Ezekiel.

"Not yet, eh?!" Ezekiel immediately dove towards Mal's stomach, hoping to disrupt his balance.

He partially succeeded; Mal, unable to react in time, was now halfway off the bear, his legs gripping its hindquarters for dear life.

" _Not bad._ " Mal's arm swung towards Ezekiel's neck, pocketknife gleaming.

"After this, you're next, _tw—NNGH!_ "

Ezekiel had punched Mal's stomach as hard as he could. Thanks to the bear's previous attack on it, Mal gasped, gripping his stomach.

"You _really_ thought you could stop me with that?" he grinned at his foe.

"No, but _I_ can!"

A powerful blow connected with Mal's left temple, causing him to grip his head in pain and drop the pocketknife.

Duncan glared at Mal as he passed. "It's over… _for now._ "

* * *

 **Duncan** : Man, Justin might be freakishly strong, but he's _freakishly_ dumb! He didn't know I was _faking_ being unconscious? Seriously?

* * *

Mal's right fingers wiggled as if the pocketknife was still there.

"Well, damn," he mused, glaring at Ezekiel again, his hair whipping around in the wind. "How about _this?_ "

He swiftly wrapped both of his hands around Ezekiel's neck, throttling him. His grin widened as the homeschooled young adult futilely scrabbled at his hands.

"Only a matter of time now…"

Cameron's snuck a peek at what was ahead. He noticed that the bear was starting to slow; its front right shoulder was too damaged to sustain a running gait any longer.

The edge of the woods lay ahead, followed by what appeared to be two poles and a red ribbon connecting the two.

The bear collapsed at the very edge of the woods, causing all three teens to tumble and roll across the finish line, breaking the ribbon in the process.

" _Looks like Cameron and Mal are the first ones to cross the finish! That means they'll have_ any _reasonable request granted to them tonight! Buuuuut the Heroic Hamsters have the lead with two guys to one!_ "

Zoey grinned at Chris's announcement. "Good…"

Then, with a sharp _thud_ , she fell on the ground. " _Ow!_ "

Sierra was staring, transfixed, at the toppled tree. Dawn's aura was flaring slightly, stabbing the tree in certain spots in an effort to break free.

" _No…she…DIDN'T_!"

With a loud _wham_ , Sierra effortlessly kicked the tree across the forest floor, slamming Dawn's head roughly to the ground as it slid over her.

She rose, aura flaring once again. She snapped her head back at Sierra, teeth bared. She growled deeply at her new foe.

Sierra's eyes narrowed and her teeth were gritted.

" _Let's do this._ "

With a loud screech, Sierra quickly clambered up the nearest tree; she was above Dawn in a matter of moments.

Dawn snarled and focused her aura around her. Loose branches and rocks rose, a green aura surrounding them.

With a concentrated effort, an aura surrounded the large toppled tree. It slowly rose in the air, town part facing Sierra.

Sierra yelled at Dawn and dove straight for her.

Zoey, however, noticed something was wrong.

Dawn's skin was blanching more than it usually was, and her nerves were growing prominently in her skull region. They throbbed dangerously, causing Dawn's eyes to squint in discomfort.

"Wait…stop…" Zoey called weakly to Sierra, who didn't hear her.

She dove right into Dawn's chest, tackling her to the ground. Dawn gritted her teeth as Sierra started pounding away at every square inch of the berserker she could find.

" _GIVE-ME-BACK-MY-CODY-CAM!_ " Sierra yelled, punching Dawn more fiercely with every word.

Dawn's face became more bruised and battered, but she made no attempt to fight back. Zoey wasn't ignorant of this fact.

"Sierra, _wait!_ " she gasped, struggling to sit up due to her shackles.

" _YOU-GIVE-HIM-BACK-RIGHT-_ _ **NOW!**_ " Sierra shrieked, slamming her fist hard into Dawn's temple on the last word.

The effect was immediate: Dawn's aura vanished at once and blood started to trickle down her noise.

"Sierra, _look at her!_ She couldn't take the constant mental strain!" Zoey gasped, staring incredulously at the both of them.

* * *

 **Zoey** : I…I don't believe it! Dawn…Dawn got _defeated?_ By _Sierra?_ What kind of screwed-up world _is_ this?

* * *

With a _click_ , Jo had removed hers and Heather's harnesses with their newly acquired key.

"Well, that was fun! Let's head for that finish line!"

"Sure! Later, _Lindsiot._ "

Lindsay, tears in her eyes, was sitting on the forest floor, ignoring the poison ivy accumulating on her legs. She looked over to see an onslaught of animals coming straight towards her.

She sighed and closed her eyes, preparing for what was coming.

" _And in no time flat, Heather and Jo cross the finish! Now, all we need to do is to wait for the…_ "

As if it could hear Chris's every word, the blue moon turned back to normal, with the aura dissipating from the area.

It passed over the animals, who immediately returned back to their personas. It passed over Dawn, whose green eyes vanished.

Lindsay opened her eyes to see that her would-be prey had vanished.

"Was…was that a _dream?_ "

* * *

 **Lindsay** : Okay, um…what kind of a dream _is_ this?!

* * *

" _Well, with a score of 3-2, the Villainous Vultures have won! Heroes, please meet me at the campfire in 10._ "

Zoey weakly raised a fist. " _Yaaaaay…_ "

Sierra started bawling hysterically.

" _CO-DYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!_ "

* * *

 **Cameron** : *he hears Sierra wailing and sobbing in the distance* Well, uh, remember a few days ago when Cody hid in the toilet for a while? *he looks down into the toilet and shakes his head somberly* Can we go back to those days, please?

* * *

Lindsay stood in front of the Hamsters with marshmallows on her plate. Her eyes still twinkled slightly.

In the peanut gallery, Heather grinned.

* * *

 **Heather** : Honestly, this was _probably_ my best challenge win! Didn't get involved with any freaky animals…or Dawn…and Lindsay's spirit is shattered! _Ha!_

* * *

"Well, Hamsters, it's been… _quite_ …an evening…but you gotta vote for someone to go!" Chris said, looking at the 6 of them.

Sierra was bawling madly on the stump next to Cameron, clutching him with an iron grip.

"Uh, Chris, can you _do_ something about her?!" he asked pleadingly.

"We'll get back to that! Now vote!"

* * *

 **Duncan** : *he crosses out Dawn's portrait* Honestly, it's been _way_ too crazy an evening, no thanks to her…besides, alliance's gotta stick together!

 **Gwen** : *she's still sniffling slightly, but she crosses out Dawn's portrait all the same*

 **Dawn** : *she vigorously shakes her head, clutching her temples* Mmmmph… _why_ does everything hurt?! *she shakily crosses out Gwen's photo* My apologies…but your auras… _aaah…_

 **Cameron** : *he closes his eyes tight and moves his marker between two photos. He opens his eyes and sighs sadly* Well…if I must…

 **Ezekiel** : *he looks mournfully at his own portrait* …How can I live with myself after what I said to Gwen, eh?! *he crosses it out*

* * *

"Alright, first two safe, no votes against…Cameron and Duncan!"

Cameron and Duncan looked at Lindsay, who was ravenously eating a marshmallow.

"Oh, sorry! These looked _so_ tasty, and I…kinda get hungry…when I'm sad…" she said, looking down at Sierra.

She threw the remaining marshmallows at her, dropping the plate down to the ground in the process.

"I, uh, wait, _what?!_ Oh, _come on!_ You _seriously_ ruined the dramatic tension!" Chris said, ignoring the loud sounds of Sierra eating the marshmallows (and dirt) from off the ground.

"You know what, fine? You ruin my fun, I'll ruin yours! Dawn, with three votes against, you're out of the game!

"…oh, what's this? A _gray card?!_ "

Chris tossed the 5 photos aside, revealing the gray card behind them.

"Yeah, you're all safe tonight! Consider it a reward for surviving tonight. As for Cameron's request, Sierra, _you're_ coming with me in a minute.

"Right! Before that, though, we have two more things to go over! Mal…what's _your_ request?"

Mal leaned forward, staring straight at Dawn. "I'd like _her…_ on _our_ team… _please._ "

 **Mal** : After today's events, keeping Dawn as close to me as possible is not only required...it's a necessity. *he grins devilishly*

"Sure, see how much I care! Next, who's going to go to Boney Island?"

"I'll go."

The rest of the Vultures looked at Zoey (some shocked, some confused) as she hopped off the edge of the bleachers.

"It's…it's what Eva would do," she said, looking at Chris unflinchingly.

* * *

 **Zoey** : *she sighs and clutches her wrist* Honestly, I'm wondering if I'm doing the right thing…*she shakes her head and glares at the camera* No, yes, yes! Yes, I am! No more contradicting myself! _For Eva!_

* * *

"Tell you what, Zoey," Chris said as she stepped onto the Boney Island boat, "when you get back, you'll be _back_ on the Hamsters! Won't that be _fun?_ "

"I guess…"

* * *

 **Duncan** : *he sighs* Zoey, back here? Yeah, whatever, fine. It's not like I _want_ her to be here or anything…Okay, maybe I do…a _little._

* * *

"As for Sierra…" Chris said, motioning to the Flush of Shame, "you're getting outta here! Besides, your stint as an intern _sucked!_ "

Sierra was still bawling to the point where the toilet water was starting to splash over the sides and into the water below.

" _CAM-ODYYYYHYHYHY! PHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!_ "

"I think we can rectify one of those things!" Chris whistled to the bespectacled intern, who came over at once.

"Here." He threw Sierra's phone at her. It smacked her nose before falling into the water with a _splash._

"There, satisfied?" Chris said, finger on the button.

"Don't worry, it's water- _prooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…._ " Sierra's voice echoed down the toilet and away from Camp Wawanakwa.

Chris sighed happily. "Well, I'd say _that's_ a wrap for this episode! How will Zoey fare on her old-new team? Will Dawn enjoy being Mal's lap dog? I doubt it, but we'll see you right here, next time, on an all new…Total…Drama…Heroes vs. Villains!"

* * *

Sierra's screams echoed throughout the pipe as she slithered along towards its end. With a _thud_ , she fell out of the pipe and onto a beachside road.

"Awwwwh…huh? Where _am_ I?"

A small school bus drove up the road, screeching to a halt next to her. The door opened, revealing a male intern with a wrinkly red shirt.

He honked the horn. "Come on, I don't have all day."

Sierra, sniffling slightly, tapped away on her phone. She did, however, step onto the bus.

"Camp Wawanakwa vlog, the last…I…I… _I didn't even last a weeeeee-hee-hee-heeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!_ "

Sierra's sobs and wails echoed over the Muskoka region as the school bus drove her to a larger bus terminal, bringing her back home at last.

* * *

(AN: Firstly, my deepest apologies for the lack of updates on this for a while! Real life got in the way…yeah. This was a late finish, and Chapter 6 will come…not sure when! Grad school started for me and I'd really like to focus on that for the majority, so Chapter 6 will come when it comes…I suppose. Sorry, I'm just really tired! Ha!

Secondly, my apologies for having the content of the episode being really dark and disturbing. I wasn't expecting this, but I rolled with it and the end result, I'd think, isn't awful. Hopefully, anyways…bleah.

Thirdly, here's who voted for who on the Hamsters:

Ezekiel – himself

Gwen – Dawn

Duncan – Dawn

Cameron – Gwen (forced to eenie meenie miney moe against her and Dawn. Would've picked Gwen anyways, since Dawn was strangely nice to him before the challenge started.)

Dawn – herself

Heroic Hamsters: Cameron, Duncan, Ezekiel, Gwen, Zoey

Villainous Vultures: Dawn, Heather, Jo, Justin, Mal

Next up: Great Eggspectations


	6. Great Eggspectations

(AN: Time for Chapter 6! And _no_ , there'll be no Spaniards getting the villainess booted off the show through contrivance here!)

 **Chris** : Last time on Total Drama: Heroes vs. Villains, the teams had to deal with the horrors of the blue harvest moon! Mal took advantage of the chaos to spread some of his own! Justin found Trent's old bracelets in the minds, Cameron stepped up to save the day…and Dawn lost her mind! (the cameras cut to Dawn's blood-curdling scream and attacking Cameron). Gwen and Ezekiel's relationship became strained, Zoey realized her limits, and Duncan became pretty badass! (the cameras cut to Duncan stabbing Mal's shoulder with the pocketknife). Heather and Jo had a heck of a time tormenting poor Lindsay…but she'll retaliate at some point…right? Heheh! In the end, the Heroes lost, and thanks to a well-timed gray card…*coughdeusexmachinacough*, Sierra was the unlucky intern getting the flush! Ha _ha!_ Mal requested Dawn join the Villains, and I decided to make Zoey face her fellow Heroes once again! 10 still remain, and today, they've got a _lot_ to gain! …uhhh, can we _fix_ that? Anywho, we'll see you right here, right now, on Total…Drama…Heroes vs. Villains!

*cue the theme song*

Episode 6: Great Eggspectations

* * *

Heather sighed as she sank deeper into the spa hotel's hot tub.

"Ahhh, this is the _life!_ "

"Huh, not like we weren't here a few days ago, right?" Jo smirked at her. "But you're not wrong!"

Heather looked up the stairs, towards where the male side rooms were.

"Wonder what _they're_ up to, hmm?"

Justin gasped slightly as he put some antiseptic on his wounds.

"Well, _that_ was a night to remember…"

"Oh, it _was_ ," Mal said, combing his hair in the mirror, making sure it retained its emo shape.

"But…we _didn't_ leave empty-handed."

Justin reached into his shirt and pulled out the bracelets. Mal's eyes widened.

"Well, hel- _lo._ "

* * *

 **Justin** : With abs like these, _nothing_ will get lost again! *he twitches his abs and squeezes them together* Aaah, beauty! Can't live without it!

* * *

Cameron groaned as he applied a third layer of shampoo that night.

"Ohhh, this smell _reeks!_ Does anyone have any ideas on how to get it out?"

"Well, I haven't really run into bears, eh, but mo'oose, that's another sto'ory," Ezekiel said, leaning against the bathroom door.

"Go'onna say, that was so'ome wicked stuff yo'ou did o'out there!"

"Yeah, I gotta agree with you there, Zeke." Duncan made himself more comfortable on the sink's countertop. "Who knew you'd get a few shots off on Mal, of all people?"

"Oh, it was nothing, really! A few bursts of adrenaline can make all the difference in a fight-or-flight situation!"

"Yo'ou nearly _died,_ eh! That was seriously dangerous!"

"But I'm still here now, right? What's the _worst_ that can happen?"

* * *

Chef rubbed the bridge of his nose indignantly as the voice over the other line squawked into his ear.

"Yes, yes, I _know_. I relayed to him what you told me. I thought we had a deal!"

More squawking on the other line ensued.

"Yes, yes, _fine…_ I'll put you on speaker and you can talk to Chris."

Chris had just stepped out of the shower, towel wrapped around his hair and nowhere else.

"Somebody ring?"

"It's Cameron's mother," Chef said, hitting the speaker button.

" _WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA HAVING MY CAMMY-BEAR NEARLY GET KILLED MULTIPLE TIMES TONIGHT?!_ "

Chris groaned and massaged his inner ear with his little finger. "Ma'am, _please,_ some people are trying to sleep…"

" _That's not an excuse, mister! He got killed by that blonde girl doing…doing who-knows-what…black magic!_

"Yes, magic, witchcraft, such maniacal methods that only Satan himself would provide!"

Chris and Chef exchanged puzzled looks. "I'm sorry…what?" Chris said, quirking an eyebrow.

"I've never _seen_ such…such _lunacy_ on this show before!"

Chris was biting his lip to keep from cracking up. Chef shook his head at him.

"…so anyways, yes, you'll be bringing him straight home, of course. Home to his life of bubbles and safety scissors and the healing power of Jesus—"

"Uhhh, ma'am? He signed the contract on his own and—"

"—and he's a minor still! I'll have you know that his birthday is on October 31st! Satan must have _hated_ me!"

"That's not what it says here on his contract, ma'am," Chef said, pulling Cameron's out and putting on his reading glasses. "Yeah, he was born in 1995 and—"

"Oh, believe me, you two, I'll be copying over his birth records! He was born in 199 _6! 1996!_ "

Chris groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Listen, it's getting late. We'll talk to Cameron about it in the morning, then we'll send him back to you at once."

"Thank God! I'll be away at a church retreat starting tomorrow morning, a Friday…I'll be certain to make sure that the house-sitter knows _everything_ that my Cammy-bear needs…"

"Yeah, sure…we'll let him know. Uh-huh…goodnight!"

Chef immediately pressed the speaker button and slammed the phone back down on its receiver.

"We're not tellin' him, are we?" he said, turning to Chris.

"Nope!"

* * *

 **Chef** : That's what I thought! Kid's been goin' through _way_ too much crazy crap anyways! He _deserves_ that million!

* * *

Dawn ran her hands in the moonlit lake water once more, watching the light dance as the water rippled.

She had removed her leggings and shoes, and was lazily letting her legs float in the water.

She stared up at the moon and sighed.

 _Earlier tonight…what happened? Why…why can I barely remember anything?_

* * *

 **Dawn** : So, when the moon turned blue, everything just…vanished! Then, sometime later, I became conscious again, but I was on the ground and injured! Did…did my repressed being return? *she gasps and covers her mouth*

* * *

A slight rustling beside her made Dawn yelp slightly. She turned to see Gwen, who was curled up into a ball, resting on a stump nearby.

"Oh, good evening! What's troubling you?"

"What's it to you? You're just going to ridicule me, like you normally do…"

"Not at all! But…I _do_ wish you'd let some of your thoughts out…your auras are battling in there, and it can't be healthy…"

Gwen sighed and pulled her legs closer to her body, while linking her hands more firmly around them.

"I'm just…I'm just going through a lot, okay? I…I'm just nervous about losing Zeke most of all…"

"Well, I can see that in your largest aura fighting for control…it's filled with love, hope, and many wonderful things!"

"I guess…it's just a _lot_ going on right now…I mean, Eva's my friend, too, and she's gone…Justin and Mal pretty much have full control of the place…"

Dawn's complexion darkened slightly. "Yes… _Mal…_ "

"…and, well, after tonight's events, well…there's more to be afraid of out there…"

Dawn flinched slightly. "So _that's_ what the pale green aura mixed with the fear aura's all about…"

"Dawn, people could've died! Why were you holding that information back!? _Especially_ after the crap you pulled with Duncan!"

"How odd, I didn't think he'd tell you—"

"Oh, _shut it!_ Are people just going to assume that I don't notice people's behaviors anymore?! That I'm just going to roll over and pretend that nothing's wrong? Dawn, you and Zoey did something to Duncan, and, God help me, if you do that to _my_ boyfriend, you're done."

Dawn's eyes sparkled with tears. "Gwen, I didn't know you had all of this…baggage…"

"Of course you don't! You're working under the assumption that auras are everything to a person! I don't know what kind of screwed up childhood you had, or with what screwed up family, but _never_ assume that we're just a bunch of auras waiting to be read!

"God, I'm _glad_ you're going to the Villains team…"

Dawn didn't make any movements or attempts to stop Gwen as she stormed back to the loser cabins.

"I… _I'm sorry…_ "

* * *

 **Gwen** : That's it! My trust in Dawn went from minimal to zero! It'll be me, Zeke, Duncan, and Cameron all the way to the end! That's final!

* * *

"Ow…ow…ow… _oww…_ "

Zoey clutched her burning thighs.

 _That's literally the third pack of angry beavers I've run from all day…_

She leaned back against a tree, panting.

 _Where_ am _I, anyways? I sprinted past the skull in front…am I on the other side?!_

Zoey glanced in the moonlight. Trees and grass were in front of her, as far as the eye could see.

 _Well, better than nothing, right?_

With that, Zoey sprinted further into the depths of Boney Island.

* * *

 **Zoey** : From what I remember watching Season 1…*she gags* ugh, that season was _awful_ …I don't think that the teams really went that far in! Furthest they went was around the skull, and I'm positive Eva and Trent backed out midway! So…I'm on new turf! *she sighs* Great.

* * *

Zoey slowed down. Her thighs started to burn again and sweat started to gather around her neck area.

 _So, I can either find the idol…or become more like Eva and get more fit! Hmmm…_

* * *

 **Zoey** : Yeah, remember there was an idol? Hah! I don't know what some _other_ people were doing here, but it certainly wasn't looking for it…

* * *

Zoey examined her surroundings; the skull blocked most of the moonlight, making it difficult to see.

In the distance, she could barely see the ripples of the opposite shore. She was currently in the depths of the woods; the trees made for an imposing canopy above her.

 _If I were an immunity idol, where would I hide?_

She crept onwards, stepping over barely visible tree roots and stray rocks as she went.

However, her travels didn't go very far.

With a yelp, Zoey tripped over a tree root that was raised higher than the rest, falling into a small pit underneath.

"Aaahhh…wait, _what…_ "

In the dimmer moonlight, Zoey saw a wooden head of a certain host grinning back at her.

 _No way._

Clutching the invincibility statue to her chest, Zoey ran back towards the skull.

 _Need to find a place to hide!_

* * *

 **Zoey** : This statue…*she pulls it out and kisses its head* …is my ticket to victory! …Wait, did I _kiss_ Chris? _EEWWWWWW!_

* * *

Zoey scrambled through the tunnels, clambering towards the top of the skull.

Then, something clicked in her head. She slowed and soon stopped.

"Wait…why not stay here for the night?" she muttered to herself. "It's pretty much abandoned here…not a bad idea!"

And with that, Zoey laid her head down on the rocky floor, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **Zoey** : Last night wasn't the _most_ comfortable, but, well…Eva would've done it! Right?

* * *

In what seemed like no time at all, the orange sun shone on the horizon, signaling a new day.

A blast of Chris's air horn woke the other 9 contestants up straight away. The Hamsters went to the mess hall for their standard breakfast, while the Villains were at the spa hotel.

"Up, up, up!" Chris said as Dawn made to pass him. He turned her 180 degrees, towards the spa hotel.

"Welcome to your new team, villain!"

Dawn swore she felt a new aura coming from Gwen. One of satisfaction and peace.

* * *

 **Dawn** : Now I need to make things up with Gwen! Ohh, can the merge come soon, please? I need to set things right…

* * *

Dawn sighed as she opened the door to the spa hotel. She could feel the four pairs of eyes glaring down at her.

"Hello… _darling._ "

* * *

 **Mal** : With Dawn being fresh meat, I'm pretty sure she'll either get eliminated…or die. I'm pretty sure everyone here hates her guts…

 **Heather and Jo** :

 **Heather** : So, what do you think about the newbie?

 **Jo** : Peh! *she spits on the floor of the confessional* She's weird as weird comes! Thank God, I was on the _other_ team when we first met…

 **Heather** : Well, if you say so…I told you, didn't watch Season 2, remember?

 **Jo** : Yeah, yeah, yeah, eating people you hate, I know, I know…now that I think about it, didn't she become friends-ish with Beth? Euuugh…

 **Heather** : You know, something tells me that I wouldn't _like_ this Beth very much…hmmm…

* * *

Dawn sat on the floor on the lower level, staring at her plate of kale. For some reason, it didn't seem appetizing to her today.

In fact, nothing really seemed interesting to her since she had awoken…

* * *

 **Dawn** : If Mal's corrupting my aura again, then his evil energy's far more wicked than I ever could have imagined it…but thankfully, now that I'm here, I can work on bringing Mike back into full control!

* * *

Mal and Justin were first out the spa hotel door, with Heather and Jo not far behind.

Dawn exited the spa hotel at a later point, ambling along behind them.

The other contestants had eaten what they could of Chef's usual slop, and were all in front of Chris on the docks.

"Good morning, everyone! Today's challenge will be taking place on Boney Island!"

Everyone groaned.

"Know what's worse? The immunity idol _has_ been found! So, no more searching!"

Mal's eyes widened. "Wh…"

* * *

 **Mal** : God _dammit_ , Zoey! I didn't even have a chance to go there myself! Well, you know what they say… _finders keepers…_

* * *

Zoey yelped and snapped to attention by the sound of a different boat horn than usual.

"That's not the Boney Island boat…what…?"

She carefully stepped out of the hole she was in, wrinkling her nose in disgust as she passed several burn marks and saw dried blood.

She pocketed the immunity idol and looked out over the water.

There, in the distance, was Chris's fancy yacht, with the other 9 contestants onboard.

"Okay, _what's_ going on here?"

"That's what _I'd_ like to know."

With a loud yell, Zoey jumped in the air, backing away from the voice as quickly as she could…and rammed her head on the skull's wall.

" _OW!_ "

"Ooh, that's gotta smart! Also, congratulations on finding that immunity idol! I'm pretty sure _some_ of us would've liked it two seasons ago!"

Zoey blinked several times, trying to regain her focus. Something about that voice sounded awfully familiar…

" _Noah?!_ "

* * *

 **Noah** : Yeah, Sierra and Chef really wanted me back on the show as a "helper". I said sure, why not, let's see some carnage. Woo, _ratings._

* * *

"So, Chris said 'follow me to the challenge zone', something about terrifying wild animals, blah blah blah, what else is new," Noah said, escorting Zoey over to a large gate.

"Well, this is different."

Zoey looked at the gate. It was massive, black, and imposing. She heard loud sounds behind it, but they sounded…inhuman.

"You know, maybe this is where Chris kept the radioactive animals from Season 2," Noah mused, leaning against the wall. "I wouldn't put it past him to have a cheap fix for this."

* * *

 **Noah** : Well, more like Chef and that robot… _thing._ Meh, potato, pot-ah-to. Honestly, I'm more concerned about, well, Justin still being in the game. Shouldn't _everyone_ here hate his guts?

* * *

Dawn looked down at the water rippling against the yacht, the sunshine sparkling above it.

"Everything alright?"

Dawn jumped slightly.

"Oh! Um…hello…wait, shouldn't you be on the other team?"

"Well yeah…" Cameron rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "But, uh, you seem different."

Dawn couldn't help but crack a small smile. "I thought reading auras was _my_ thing…"

"Well, yeah, but, uh, spending all your life in a bubble can make someone pretty observant."

Dawn reached out and gently took Cameron's hand in hers.

"It's unfortunate that we're on separate teams now…" she murmured towards him. "especially since, well…I feel something in me towards…um…"

Cameron quirked an eyebrow. "You okay?"

"I, um…" Dawn sighed. "Ohh, I couldn't find a more elegant way to say this so, um…Cameron, I think I'm…falling for you…"

Cameron stared straight ahead for a little while, eyes wide with shock.

"Wh…wha…whaaaa… _HUH?!_ "

* * *

 **Cameron** : Why? _Why_ would someone like her fall for someone like me? We're nothing alike! What would the _fans_ think? Shouldn't Dawn be with someone like, say, Mike?

* * *

"Aww, a budding romance between team members…how _precious._ "

Cameron turned to see Mal glowering at the both of them. His eyes narrowed.

"Shut it."

"Oh, is that what you'd really say to someone who was capable of doing… _this?_ "

From next to him, Justin pulled out Dawn's severed arm from his tightly wrapped bandages.

Dawn's eyes widened in horror. Cameron was on the verge of collapsing.

"Look familiar?" Justin snickered. "Yes, this was all _Mal's_ doing…"

"Believe me, I'm just getting started…" Mal said, his grin widening.

"So go ahead. Try to stop me. But, spoilers, _**you won't.**_ "

"Back off!"

From behind Mal, he heard two voices say those two words, although the second was more accented and had an "eh" at the end of it.

"Oh, good, the cavalry's here…" he chuckled, looking out of the corner of his eyes to see Duncan and Ezekiel glaring at him.

"Yeah, and _this_ cavalry has a bone to pick with you…bad." Duncan cricked his neck and cracked his fists with his opposite hands.

"Hey, hey, save it for the challenge!" Chris called, popping his head out from the captain's cabin. "We're almost there anyhow…"

Before too long, the 10 competitors were lined up in front of Chris. Noah stood next to him and Chef, looking disinterested.

"So, today we'll be here, in ' _The Fun Zone…_ '" Chris said, wiggling his fingers ominously.

Duncan yawned. "Yeah, cool, can we go inside already?"

"Nope! I gotta _explain_ what's happening in there!

"So, as I'm sure some of you have heard, there's quite a ruckus going on back there! Well, Chef needed a place to store the radioactive wildlife from Season 2…"

"It was easier than killin' 'em all…" Chef muttered under his breath.

"…so, for today's challenge, we're combining the key-finding challenge from Season 1 and the animal-item-finding challenge from Season 2…"

"You know, were those keys _ever_ used for anything?" Noah asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well, besides _your_ elimination, nope!" Chris shot back.

Justin snickered. "And it was _so_ satisfying!"

Noah just glared at his enemy.

"So, anywho, you'll be finding keys kept safe inside certain animal eggs! They'll be your ticket out of this dump!

"First team to find the key to the gate wins themselves some sweet immunity! The losers, well…"

"Hey, Chris!" Jo sneered, "what do _we_ get for winning yesterday's challenge? You know, to _make things easier?_ "

"Oh, that's easy! You have Noah to chase the animals away…"

"I didn't agree to that!"

"… _aaand_ Chef's got a nice little schematic for the key _and_ egg you'll be looking for!"

Chef smirked as he handed Heather a small, rolled-up piece of paper.

"Good luck, heheheheh…" he said, a glint in his eye.

Heather narrowed one of her eyes at him and quirked an eyebrow with the other.

"Yeah, sure."

* * *

 **Heather** : Honestly, unless by some weird stroke of luck, I'm positive we'll win this challenge. Game, set, match!

 **Jo** : You know, if we _lose_ , there's only one person that I can think of to vote off…sorry, Dawn! Ha!

* * *

"Aaaand _go!_ " Chris said, blowing the airhorn and pushing a button to open up the gate.

The 10 contestants (and Noah) sprinted in, although Dawn was slower than the rest.

With a loud _slam_ behind them, the gate closed, complete with a loud _click!_

"Well, looks like we're stuck here with…them," Gwen sighed, eyeing the scenery.

"This looks rather familiar…" Cameron mused, examining his surroundings.

"Yeah, as it should!" Chris's voice rang out throughout the zone. "Most of this place was salvaged from the old Franken-Forest, which _none_ of you went through!"

* * *

 **Jo** : Oh, _right…_ the only person who did was voted out first…pssh, how much would she be carrying on if she were here right now?

* * *

"Oh yeah, as a nod to last season's challenge, I'll be stirring up the dirt on you guys!" Chris cackled as the unmistakable sound of cue cards being adjusted on a table rang out over the loudspeakers.

"Won't this be _fun?_ "

" _NO!_ " everyone, save for Dawn, shouted.

"Aww, don't care! Enjoy your scavenger hunt!"

Ezekiel looked over at Gwen, who was starting to slow down from her comfortable jog.

"Hey, uh, yo'ou okay, eh?"

Gwen didn't reply.

"Gwen?"

Gwen sighed and broke away from the rest of the group.

"How about we split up…it'll be easier to find what we need if we're in separate locations…?"

Duncan looked back at her. "Uhhhh…sure?"

Zoey and Cameron looked at each other and shrugged.

* * *

 **Zoey** : *she sighs* I think I'll sit down and have a chat with Gwen at some point. Girl-to-girl thing, you know? Well…maybe I could get someone she could trust to mediate…

* * *

"Hey, Cam?"

Cameron yelped as Zoey pulled him backwards by his hoodie.

"Oh! Yeah, Zoey, what's going on?"

Zoey exhaled deeply and she stared at the ground.

"I…I really do need to apologize. For, well, for everything I've done. I can't put you up on a pedestal anymore just because of your skin color…"

Cameron cracked a small smile.

"Well, it's nice of you to say that…but it's okay. I forgive you!"

Zoey's face immediately shifted to one of confusion.

"Wait, what?"

* * *

 **Cameron** : Holding grudges like that is _really_ unhealthy for some people. I mean, look at Gwen and Dawn! Hmmm…I think I'll talk to Dawn about things once this challenge is over…I mean, I need to get to know someone who likes me…right? *he whispers to the camera* _I've never done this "relationship" thing before!_

* * *

Heather unfurled the paper as she ran, with Jo looking over her shoulder.

"Well then! Seems like we're looking for a baby blue egg with a triangular-shaped key in it! Wonder what kinda animals have that…" Jo murmured.

* * *

 **Jo** : Never was one for major details when watching the show! Frankly, I was watching just to see Anne Maria get her just desserts! Oh, and Sam, watching him grow was kinda cool!

* * *

"So, team, here's the plan! We split like the heroes and start finding this…" Heather said, showing Mal and Justin the egg.

Jo looked back to see their final member lagging along behind them. "What about Dawn?"

"What _about_ Dawn?" Mal's grin shone in the sun, as did Justin's.

"She's dead weight," Justin said, a gleam in his eye. "Honestly, with us 4, _no one_ can defeat us…"

* * *

 **Mal** : The plan couldn't be any simpler. Show Dawn the extent of her damage, break her spirit. It's what I do…*he chuckles*

* * *

Noah looked back at Dawn, who had slowed down to an ambling pace.

"Okay, uh, kooky lady, slow down. I _think_ I've got something to perk you right up."

Dawn stopped, looking mournfully down at the ground.

"If you insist…"

Noah peered around. _Now, where's weird Bumbler woman?_

He saw Cameron and Zoey running towards a section of the woods to his left.

"Hey, _hey!_ Wait up!"

Thankfully, Cameron was close enough to hear. He motioned to Zoey to stop and wait for Noah.

"What is it? We've got a challenge to complete!" she sighed, but her expression changed when she saw Dawn.

"Is…is she okay?"

"Spoiler alert, lady, answer's a hard 'no'. But, hear me out. I _think_ I've got something that'll help her out…"

Zoey listened as Noah outlined his plan in a hushed voice. She looked over at Dawn again, then rubbed the immunity idol in her pocket.

"You know what? Let's do it."

* * *

 **Cameron** : Well, _that's_ the last thing I ever expected to see Zoey do…only question is, "will it work before we merge?"

 **Zoey** : What Noah said _did_ make sense…but it's a major gamble! *she sighs* Honestly, I'm wondering if I'm doing the right thing here…

* * *

Gwen kicked a rock down the wooded path as she looked for any nests.

 _If I were a key, where would I hide?_

A loud roar to her right brought her back to her senses. She yelled as a large crocodile with tentacles for hands lashed out at her.

As Gwen darted and dodged, the loudspeakers crackled on.

"Oh- _kay!_ Time to get started with our Fun Zone Fun Facts!" Chris called out.

"First things first, we've gained several more radioactive animals here than we did in Season 2! We got crocs, flies, bees…honestly, it's _life-threatening!_ "

Gwen sighed as she ran from the croc. "Great. _Now_ he tells us…"

"There also _might_ have been some cross-breeding going on here! Notice the tusks on that guy? Yeah, the crocs screwed the Boney Island beavers! Who knew?"

Gwen gagged. Elsewhere, Ezekiel's eyes widened.

"Oh, _what the hell, eh?!_ "

"Yeah, should've put up that fence earlier than we did, huh, Chef?"

"Don't get _me_ involved! You were in jail!"

* * *

Heather craned her eyes, looking for any eggs.

 _C'mon, c'mon, you should be here somewhere…_

Jo had taken charge of the map and was looking at it again closely.

"Well, here's what we got. Key's got a triangular…uhhh…holdy-thing…and a squiggily…unlock-key part!"

Heather rolled her eyes. "Great, what _else_ do you have for us, oh lady of puns?"

"There's a circular hole in the triangular part…most likely for a key ring! Oh, hey, blue egg batch, dead ahead!"

However, Heather and Jo's travels were short lived.

With a loud screech, a bipedal lizard hopped down from the cliffside the nest was located on and landed in front of the pair.

Jo shuddered slightly. "Well, _there's_ my 'nam flashback for the day…"

* * *

 **Jo** : It was right then when all the memories of last season's finale flooded right back into me…*she looks at her wrist* yeah, that, uh, that happened…

* * *

"So, let's get the Season 1 shenanigans underway! So, our first eliminated contestant, Courtney, has her head stuck _so_ far up her own ass, it's not even funny!"

"Much like a _certain_ host we all know and hate?" Noah scoffed, tailing Zoey and Cameron.

"I mean, she's got delusions of going to a prestigious school and becoming a world-class lawyer! Ha, like _that's_ ever going to happen!"

Zoey glared at the voice, something Cameron wasn't ignorant of.

"You okay?"

"No one, and I mean _no one_ , deserves that kind of taunting!"

Cameron gave a small smile. "Well, it's nice to see you're getting better…"

* * *

 **Zoey** : My crusade for women's rights is still on the table! However, the _old_ me is out! The _new_ me will fight for _everyone's_ rights…but women's rights are still a little higher priority…

* * *

Duncan scanned the area for any signs of eggs. In the distance was a small nest.

"Alright, jackpot!"

He clambered up the tree and started to drop the eggs onto the ground.

"Nice, a key! Score!"

He slid down the tree and picked up the key. It was circular and had an elongated teeth section.

"Let's test this sucker out!"

However, Duncan didn't get far. A laser blast narrowly missed his right side.

"Oh? Alright, Mal, your time's up—wha?"

The birds flapping behind him got their lasers ready once again, causing Duncan to scream wildly and bolt.

"So, moving on to contestant number two! Harold's _never_ washed a certain pair of "lucky" underwear! Gross, huh!"

Ezekiel, who had broken open his own set of eggs and obtained a key of his own, turned pale.

"Do'o we really have to _hear_ this crap, eh?!"

"Furthermore, Harold's a pretty pathetic loser socially! Guy can't keep a friend to save his life! Well, save for one…maybe two...?"

Duncan shook his head. "The less I think of him, McLean, the happier I'll be!"

Chris cackled over the intercom. Justin glared at the sound's general direction.

"Alright, so, let's see, eggs, eggs, eggs…"

Mal, who was in another part of the woods, punched away some squirrels before grabbing another nest's worth of eggs.

"Come to papa…"

"Continuing on with the tirade against the contestants! Next is Heather!"

Heather gritted her teeth, glaring in the general direction of the speakers. Jo smirked, putting a foot on the stunned lizards.

"Suck it up! He roasted us last season and whoo- _wee,_ that was some dirt!"

"Did you know that Heather used to be _really_ fat? I wonder if she became anorexic to—OW!"

"Chris, that's _not_ cool and everyone knows it!" Chef yelled.

Heather breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, at least _some_ one is looking out for me…"

"Hey! What am I, chopped liver?" Jo glared at her.

"Nope, more like filet mignon!"

* * *

 **Heather** : And I _love_ a good filet…*she licks her lips seductively*

* * *

"Moving right along…Tyler's easily our least-remembered contestant ever!"

Duncan scoffed as he rattled the key in the keyhole. "Rats, no luck!"

" _Out of my way…_ "

Mal roughly shouldered Duncan out of the way. He cleaned some eggshells from his key, then started rattling it in the lock.

"Hmm, no luck. Toodles."

He snapped the key in half and tossed it behind him.

Duncan glared at Mal as he whistled his signature tune, strolling along back into the woods.

"Just you wait, you damned hellspawn…"

"…you know, I wonder what happened to Tyler's pet chicken, Clucky? Seemed like a psychopath, killing his dad like that! Last I heard, it was located on the coast of British Columbia, of all places…might not be a bad place to get away to, huh, Chef?"

"Chris, continue with your stupid damned tirades!"

"Aww, honey, don't be like that! Anywho, Geoff, is, uh…wow, that's a _really_ nice photo of him…' _Hey dudes, I heard you liked guys, so here's something nice of my bro-mancer, Geoff…love from…Brody?'_ Chef, who's Brody?"

"Honestly, Chris, I'm just wonderin' why he sent us a photo of Geoff's junk! I didn' need to see _that_ today!"

Duncan shuddered. _Mustn't think about it, mustn't think ab…aw, dammit, I did!_

Chris gagged. "Okay, make sure that _that_ guy gets _nowhere_ near our show! Next up, we've got…Owen! Ah, our chubby ton of fun!"

Noah sighed as he slowed down. "What are _you_ going to say about him, exactly?"

"Did you know that his weight problem is due to poor eating choices? Could you _imagine_ Heather looking like h—OW!"

"Can it!"

"Ugh, Chef, _fine!_ You'd think Owen would be the type to have a major cheese cellar in his basement or something…"

"Chris, these are too obvious! Try something more…punch-y!"

"Ooh, sure! Did you know that Lindsay's IQ was _so_ low, that she can apparently cause anomalies in space and time? I didn't!"

"So _that_ explains it…" grumbled Heather, splattering a bunch of blue eggs onto the ground.

"Also, she got some boob jobs, hair dye, and fake tan to cover for her _extreme_ self-consciousness iss-OW, CHEF, KNOCK IT OFF!"

"Chris, let _me_ take over! You're blabbin' secrets to the entire viewing audience!"

"Aww, Chef, I don't think she's got the mental capacity to _understand_ this show! Sh-aah, AAGH, OW! CHEF, OW, AAAH! AHAHAHAHAAAAA!"

Heather sighed and looked for anything glistening in the mess of yolks, albumens, and eggshells.

 _No key here. Crap!_

Ezekiel passed by her. His eyes darted over what was on the ground, then at the furled piece of paper nearby Heather.

"That's it, eh!"

Heather's eyes widened in horror.

"Wait… _crap! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_ "

* * *

 **Heather** : I was so _stupid!_ I didn't want to get that guide dirty in case one of us forgot what the key and such looked like! *she sighs* a stunt like this might as well be my demise…well, in another universe they might! I'm not _that_ dumb!

* * *

Ezekiel gasped and panted towards Cameron and Zoey.

"Wait, eh? We're wasting time with these eggs! The o'ones we want are blue!"

Zoey quirked an eyebrow. "You're… _sure_ about this?"

"Yeah! Heather was dropping a who'ole bunch of 'em, eh? I didn't get a look at what the key looked like, tho'ough…"

Cameron looked at Zoey. "We need to tell the team! Split up?"

"Split up!"

The loudspeakers crackled on again as the trio went in three separate directions. "Okay, so, uh… _owww…_ let's move on to Leshawna! Girl was born and raised in the ghetto!"

Justin quirked an eyebrow. "Tell me something I _don't_ know!"

"She'll fall for _anyone_ who looks pretty and will treat her nice!"

Justin rolled his eyes. "Reminds me of _someone_ I know and hate…"

"…and she's got a pretty dang inflated opinion of herself!"

Justin facepalmed.

* * *

 **Justin** : Well, _yeah_ , that was my plan! Go for the ladies that had issues and exploit them! Duh! It's how I got laid!

* * *

"…moving right along, Ezekiel's our next contestant that I can diss! Guy's been _so_ sheltered, he didn't know what Frenching was until he met Gwen!"

Ezekiel groaned as he slapped his face. "Not no'ow, eh!"

"Hahaha, poor Zeke! If I were him, I'd lower my standards a little bi—OWW! FOURTH TIME, CHEF?"

"Yeah, cuz this is goin' too far!"

Gwen gave a small _hmmph_ at the feud erupting over audio once more.

"Jeez, it's like Chris just gets off on our misery or something…"

She casually brushed away some mutated flies and skulked onwards.

* * *

Noah ran through the woods, ducking and dodging several squirrels and birds.

"Note to self: thank self for not accepting Sierra's offer to be in this season!" he said to himself, ducking the umpteenth laser thrown at him.

"…is Izzy…crazy…hit on her head…very young age…" Chris's voice was harder to hear here; there were no speakers installed at this area.

Noah found himself by the edge of several tall cliffs, adorned with several nests worth of eggs. Some were baby blue, while others were in other colors.

 _Gee, Chris lazily re-used the first challenge of this season and just slapped eggs on top of it. Figures, right?_

The sounds of footsteps interrupted his thoughts.

"Well, looks like it's _my_ cue to get outta here…hmm?"

There was Justin, sprinting on his hands towards the cliffside.

"Oh, _perfect._ "

* * *

 **Noah** : I've been waiting to sink my claws into that perfectly sculpted hunk of male modelness for the past two years! Justin, my not-so-fine friend, your time has come. *he smirks*

* * *

Dawn sat on a fallen log, out of the way of everyone. She was looking down at the ground, sighing slightly.

"Dawn? _Dawn, hey!_ "

"Oh? Oh, Cameron! Hello!"

Dawn's face brightened slightly as she saw her crush running towards her.

"What brings you out here?"

"Well, uh, I was wondering where you were and, uh…uhhhh…"

"Aww, you don't have to be so flustered around me! Your aura's perky, and I like you when you're perky!"

A rustling nearby made Cameron jump and put his hand on Dawn's shoulder to ease his nerves. Heather and Jo bolted out, carrying a small handful of keys.

"Hey, quit fraternizing with the enemy, nerd!" Jo sneered at Cameron as they ran past. "She's _our_ team member!"

"I _know_ you've got trouble with your hormones, bubble brat, but could you _please_ keep your hands out of her shirt? Some of us still want to escape with our dignity, you know…" Heather said, testing the first key on the lock.

Cameron whipped his head back and looked at Dawn's shirt. Something seemed different…possibly lumpier?

"I, uh…huh?"

"Don't worry, I'm just breastfeeding a poor baby squirrel!" Dawn said, her usual smile back on her face once more. "You should try it sometime!"

Both Heather and Jo retched. "Yuck! Forget I asked!"

Out of the corner of Cameron's eye, he noticed a small twinkle coming from Dawn's eyes.

" _Wait, what are you…wait…_ _ **ohhhhh!**_ " he whispered to her.

Dawn gave a small smile and a slight nod.

* * *

 **Cameron** : This better work, Dawn!

* * *

Duncan gasped and panted back into the woods, avoiding several bipedal lizards and some local beavers.

" _MAL! I'M COMING FOR YOU!_ "

"Oh, _are you?_ Are you really?"

Mal appeared from the shadows, grinning.

"What brings you this way, Duncan? What did I do to you?"

Duncan gritted his teeth. "You know _damn_ well. Remember yesterday? We're not done!"

"Oh, last night? But, Duncan, that was _so_ fun! Tell you what: I'll play…but you're going to need _these…_ "

He held out the bracelets to Duncan, who immediately made for them.

"Good, another reason to beam a hole right in your cold, soulless heart! Let's—"

Mal immediately moved them out of Duncan's reach. "Yoink!"

"Okay, if we're going to play _this,_ then we're switching to _my_ rules!"

Mal dodged as Duncan punched the thin air where Mal's stomach would've been.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Oh, Duncan, how little you learn. You think the same methods would work on me twice?"

He gripped Duncan's wrist, squeezing hard on it. Duncan whimpered in pain as his legs buckled.

"Let me make this clear, Duncan. Be _damn_ thankful that I'm not using these on you. Not yet…"

Duncan's eyes welled up with tears from the pain. Mal moved closer, so that Duncan's vision was now seeing nothing but his face.

Mal's breathing was calm and steady. Duncan could smell something rancid on his breath.

" _Next time you fuck with me, Duncan, I'll kill you. I'll kill you and no one will know._

" _ **Got it?**_ _"_

Duncan nodded speedily, to which Mal immediately released his grip.

"Pleasure doing business with you…"

All Duncan could do now was watch as Mal jauntily whistled deeper into the woods.

* * *

 **Duncan** : Mal…God dammit, Mal, you think you can scare me now, after _everything_ you've done?! No, not anymore! _NOT ANYMORE!_ *he punches the confessional wall, causing the entire side to collapse*

* * *

Justin looked up at the rows of eggs, scratching his chin.

"Hmmm…where can I start…?"

"Well, maybe _this_ would be good!"

Justin smirked as he noticed Noah running towards him, rummaging in his pockets.

"Oh? I wasn't expecting you here…"

"Yeah, no one really does! Hi- _yah!_ "

With a loud grunt, Noah threw a small sphere in the air. It glowed blue, sparking electricity out of it. Not long afterwards, it stopped and fell to the ground.

Justin grinned.

"Well, well, well…what good did you expect _that_ to do?"

His answer came soon afterwards. A loud roaring sound echoed from deep within the cliffs, followed by several _thuds_ and what appeared to be fire.

Noah's eyes widened. "Well, okay…that _wasn't_ quite what I had in mind!"

* * *

 **Noah** : The minute I heard "wild animals", I knew I needed some defensive options. *he pulls out another small sphere* See this? Alters the electrical signals in simpler brains slightly. Agitates nearby animals and matches them more closely with mine, which means…they're mine to command! *his smile vanishes from his face and he glares at the camera* What? This is a show where an incubus and a beastmistress roam freely! You think _this_ is too much of a suspension of disbelief?!

* * *

Justin's eyes widened further as he heard several sounds coming from above.

"Oh, crap…"

"Oh, crap indeed, my…disturbing…friend! Try _these_ on for size!"

A louder _thwack_ sounded against the cliff wall, and with a crack, it broke. Justin yelled as a tentacle lashed out in front of him.

"Well, looks like the man-eating…and f-bleep!-ing…plant's here! This'll be _great!_ "

Noah smirked as several flying animals came from the tops of the cliffs, running into the eggs and causing some to splatter on the ground below.

"I think these'll keep you in _good_ company, eh, _Justin?_ "

Justin yelled as a blast of fire scorched his bandages and legs. He moaned as he flailed his legs futilely in the air.

" _Burns_ , doesn't it?" Noah sneered. "Just like you burned bridges with everyone you thought you knew!"

"Ooh, that looks painful, eh?"

Noah turned to see Ezekiel leaning against a tree, grinning slightly.

"Right, right, you've got some beef with him, too…what's your call?"

"Well, uh…go get him, eh!"

Ezekiel threw a large slab of beehive towards Justin, who shrieked further. A buzzing sound came from further back, growing louder and louder each second.

"Losing _stings,_ huh?" he scoffed as a swarm of mutated bees stung at Justin voraciously.

Noah saw a glittering key mixed in with some baby blue eggshells on the floor. He picked it up and threw it at Ezekiel.

"Here you are! Better you than him, am I right?"

Ezekiel grinned as he examined the key. The top part was triangular and the insertion point was zigzagged.

"Thanks, eh! Better safe than so'orry!"

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : So'o, I bet yo'ou're wondering how I got that beehive, eh? Well, when we split up, I heard Justin in the distance, eh? So'o, I needed so'omething to distract him with! Then, way up high in the tree, there it was, eh! I threw a rock at the hive, down it comes, _bam!_ *he punches his open hand with his fist* Free hive, and all I needed to do'o was outrun those bees, eh! Ha!

* * *

"Duncan? Duncan! There you are!"

Duncan looked up to see Zoey running towards him. He slouched further on his stump, resting his head in his hands and his elbows on his knees.

"What's up? Heard about Mal?"

"Well, no, but, uh…have you seen Gwen? I need to tell her about the eggs and what we're looking for…"

"I haven't! She just disappeared, like that!"

"…did you know that Justin was cast out of his parent's household at the age of 10 when he was caught f-bleep!-ing his babysitter? Wonder _why,_ huh? She obviously got incarcerated, but Justin, well, that was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back!"

Justin lay on the ground, moaning in pain. Larry roared a few more times at him and spat some more fire.

Noah smirked. "I'd say _that's_ a wrap!"

"Speaking of wraps, Ezekiel's opened the door to victory! The Heroic Hamsters win!"

Chris had used his megaphone over the loudspeakers, creating a loud whining sound throughout the Fun Zone. Thankfully, the sound projected more; even Noah and Justin were able to hear it.

Gwen, who was sitting on a rotten log away from everyone else, looked up and sighed.

"Good for you, Zeke…"

* * *

 **Gwen** : I needed to be alone this challenge. Needed to be with my thoughts. *she sighs* God, _why_ do I screw things up worse for others…

* * *

The 10 competitors were on the yacht again, with Chef behind the wheel. Noah was ensuring that Chris was tied up tightly.

"Sorry, Chef's orders!" he said, as he applied another layer of duct tape around Chris's mouth.

He looked back at Chef, who smirked at him.

Chris made a muffled moaning sound.

* * *

 **Heather** : So, this challenge sucked! Thankfully, it's pretty much unanimous that teat-suckler's going home! _Ha!_

* * *

The sun was orange over the horizon as the Villainous Vultures convened in the mess hall for dinner.

"So, we're all agreed, right? Dawn goes?" Heather said, picking at her moldy green chicken.

" _Crystal_." Mal said.

Jo said nothing, but Heather wasn't unaware of that knowing glint in her eye.

Justin, who was bandaged up, muffled incomprehensibly.

Dawn, who was away from everyone else, hummed quietly, playing with her hair.

* * *

Noah held a plate of 4 marshmallows. Chris was massaging his lips, which were red and raw.

"Aaaa _oooowwwww…_ alright, so, tonight, we vote! You know what to do!"

"Oh, Chris?" Dawn chirped.

Chris sighed. " _What,_ Dawn?"

"Well, um…I have an announcement to make…"

Dawn reached into her shirt and rummaged around. Heather gagged.

" _We don't want to see that!_ "

Dawn's eyes twinkled and a serene smile was on her face.

"By the planets aligned and the stars above, elimination is _not_ in my future!"

Everyone, even Mal, gasped as Dawn pulled out the immunity idol from under her shirt.

"Wait, _WHAT?!_ " he gasped, eyes wide. "Only one to have that was Zoey, unless…wait…"

Justin's eyes widened and he started motioning towards Noah, making incomprehensible noises.

Mal started trembling slightly as Noah's eyes narrowed. The latter had the most devious smirk etched across his face.

* * *

 **Noah** : Yeah, I convinced Zoey to give that immunity idol to Dawn! It was…surprisingly easier than I expected it would be.

 **Zoey** : Giving up the idol? Yeah, it hurt a little, but Dawn's not done here! Not by a long shot! *she whispers to the camera* _Noah said that it would lead to Justin's downfall if I gave it to her!_

* * *

"Well, looks like Dawn's safe for another day! I'll give you 5 minutes to deliberate amongst yourselves and cast your votes!"

Dawn immediately stood up and headed for the confessionals.

"Oh!" Chris said, eyes widening. "Looks like someone knows who they're voting for!"

Heather and Jo looked at each other, fear on their faces.

* * *

 **Heather** : _Shit!_ With that plan up in smoke, _now_ who do we vote for?!

 **Jo** : No way in hell Dawn's voting for Mal! There's too much friction going on between the two of them! *she clears her throat and starts mimicking Dawn* " _Ooh, Mike, I'll get you back! I'll get you back! Twoo wuv!_ " *she gags* Bite me!

* * *

Duncan smirked as he saw Mal talking in hushed tones to Justin.

 _Sometimes, victory feels so dang sweet!_

The two exchanged a thumbs up and headed for the confessionals.

Heather and Jo looked at the pair, then at each other. They nodded, stood up, and followed suit.

Mal glared at Dawn as she exited the confessional.

"So, who'd you pick?"

"What's it matter to you? Mike's not here, so I won't tell you."

"Oh, I can bring him back _any_ time I please…hang on…nnngh… _nnnnnnnngh…._ "

Dawn pursed her lip as Mal's face contorted into odd expressions. Justin looked up at him, a quizzical expression on what little of his face was showing.

"Where… _where…are…they?!_ " Mal finally stopped his efforts, gasping and panting.

"Gone." Dawn's words hit Mal like a knife, causing his eyes to widen slightly.

"Gggh…this isn't over yet, _enemy._ "

* * *

 **Mal** : Where the hell did they go?! Hello? _I know you're in there!_ *he whacks his head with his fist* Ugh, _dammit!_ Can't worry about that yet…first…*he picks up a photo and crosses it out*

 **Justin** : *he looks at the camera, picks up his pen through his bandages, and shakily crosses off who he wants gone*

* * *

" _Dawn!_ "

Heather and Jo ran up to her, gasping and panting.

"Listen…I'm, uh, sorry…about how we treated you before…" Heather said, hands on her knees and chest heaving.

"Your auras say otherwise…" Dawn mused, but didn't press onwards.

"Yeah, fine, whatever! Listen, we're voting for Justin. I trust you'll do the same." Jo said, jerking her head towards the confessionals.

"Well, my vote went to the one with the most untrustworthy aura…" Dawn said.

"Yeah, okay, can you give us a straight answer, _please?!_ " Heather said, her eye twitching slightly.

"Well, learn the ways of the aura and you'll understand!" Dawn said.

"Hey, wait! You… _you…_ "

But Heather's pleas fell on deaf ears as Dawn hummed back to the campfire.

* * *

 **Heather** : Dawn's words can mean _anything_ …weird ass…*she crosses out who she wants gone*

 **Jo** : Well… _that_ happened…*she crosses out who she wants gone*

* * *

"I've got the results of your votes right here!"

Chris smiled, as did Noah. The latter had the immunity idol on the plate of marshmallows.

"Uh, Chris, are you going to do _anything_ el—" Heather began, but was cut off.

"Nope! Noah asked, and I obliged. Dunno why!"

Justin started to sweat.

"So…first two marshmallows go to Dawn…and Jo!"

Jo breathed a heavy sigh of relief as she caught her marshmallow. Dawn smiled as she caught hers.

Mal and Justin exchanged slightly worried glances. Heather's fingers tapped against her thigh.

"…next is Mal…"

Mal breathed a sigh of relief as he caught his marshmallow.

Justin and Heather looked at each other nervously as the Total Drama elimination theme started to play in the background.

"…and tonight's loser with a 3-2 vote is…Ju—wait, _whaaaa…_ "

Heather gasped and sank to her knees.

" _YES! YES, YES, YES!_ _ **YES!**_ "

She caught her thrown marshmallow and started ravenously kissing it.

"So, uh, Justin! Seems like you, uh, got the boot…uhhhh, yeah!" Chris said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Justin glared at Noah. Noah shot him a cold smirk back.

"Your Flush of Shame awaits!" Chris said, motioning towards the dock.

Justin stood up on his hands and started making his way towards his watery end.

"Oh yeah!" Chris said, clapping his hands together. "Almost forgot! Since the idol's been found, no one _needs_ to go to Boney Island anymore…unless anyone wants to volunteer…"

" _I'll go!_ "

Gwen and Zoey immediately jumped off the peanut gallery bleachers, then stopped, staring aghast at each other.

"Wait, _what?_ "

"Hey, two's better than one!" Chris said happily as Chef rolled up with the usual boat. "It's gonna get a _little_ cramped in there…"

"Hop in, maggots! You'll need all the company you'll get there…" Chef chuckled, patting the passenger's side seat.

Gwen looked at Zoey, who looked back.

"You take shotgun. I'll…I'll just ride in back or something…"

Gwen quirked an eye, but said nothing. She strode onto the dock and got in the passenger seat.

Zoey sat, albeit uncomfortably, in the small space near the back of the boat.

"So long!" Chris said, waving at them. "Enjoy the merge when you get back tomorrow!"

"Wait, _what?!_ " the both of them cried out.

"Yeah! Justin barely missed the merge! Sucks, doesn't it!"

Justin gave out a loud, long, muffled moan that emanated across the island. Noah chuckled.

"Sucks to be you, huh?"

Justin hand vaulted up to the toilet rim. He turned around, glaring at Noah. He was about to take a deep breath, when…

Noah threw the invincibility idol at him, hitting him square in the nose, causing him to slam off the rim with his chin, and head for the water.

Any semblance of Justin's cries of pain were drowned out by the _beep_ of the remote and the gurgling of the water.

A few slamming sounds later, Justin was gone, never to be heard from again.

* * *

 **Dawn** : Voting for Justin? Well, it's odd, yes, but I recall his dirty, _dirty_ aura from last season. It hadn't changed from then until now! I'd say that's _very_ untrustworthy…

* * *

Chris smiled. "Aaah, now _that's_ a wrap! Tune in next time to see the final 9 compete as 1 cohesive unit! It'll be sure to knock your socks off, here on Total…Drama…"

The Boney Island boat spluttered off, splashing Chris with some lake water.

"Ugh, aaagh! Ahem, Heroes vs. Villains!"

* * *

(AN: Hey, a short chapter for once! Who knew? Woo! Sorry if this one's a little weak, but the next one should more than make up for it!

I won't be uploading Chapter 7 for a while. I need to work on a very different kind of fic for a friend of mine, and then I need to work on something…different. It's why I mentioned the merge now as opposed to later. You'll see on the latter. You'll definitely see.)

Votes this round: 3 for Justin (by Heather, Jo, and Dawn), 2 for Heather (by Mal and Justin)

Heroic Hamsters: Cameron, Duncan, Ezekiel, Gwen, Zoey

Villainous Vultures: Dawn, Heather, Jo, Mal

Next up: Suckers Punched


	7. SP: Dawn of a New Day

(AN: Time for something different! You won't be hearing from me anymore during this chapter because…)

* * *

Special Chapter: Dawn of a New Day

The blue moon shone as a blonde-haired socialite gave birth to two small girls. The older one screamed extremely loudly for a few seconds, then became quiet.

The second one, however, gave some small murmurs and grasped her parent's fingers.

"…Vivian and…Dawn…" their mother murmured. "Something tells me that these two will be special…"

Their father gave a small smile.

"You're right…they'll grow up to be proper women, and a benefit to our society."

* * *

"Dawn! That's the third animal that's been here this week!"

The young infant looked up at her angry parents with her pale-blue eyes.

"Why are these freaks of nature invading our property?! This isn't the example we want to set with our daughters!"

"Agreed," her father added in. "Look at Vivian. One year old and sitting there as prim and proper as we expect our children to be!"

Her twin gave her a small smile, playfully kicking her feet from under her floor-length white dress.

Her parents adjourned to the bedroom. Another bout of raised voices. The infant had heard them several times before, but never knew what they meant…

The voices lowered. Within a few minutes, her parents had left their room, looking stern.

"Do you have a place?"

"Of course…"

"What if the others start asking?"

"She passed of SIDS. Could happen to anyone…"

"But if they press—"

"We have the money. We can pay for their silence."

Soon afterwards, they were on their way. The young infant had no idea where they were going, or why she was dressed in ratty clothing.

All she knew was that they were getting further and further away from anything and everything.

Within a few hours, they had stopped. Her father had taken her far into the depths of a dark wood.

He set her down. "Good riddance…you'll either be dead in a year's time or you'll be eaten alive.

"Just goes to show what good eugenics might do…shame that _that's_ now outlawed…"

With that, the infant girl was left alone in the woods, watching those she thought she loved her disappear…

* * *

She was moving.

She awoke, and found herself moving. How much time had passed? What was time? How did a one-year-old know about the passage of time?

Why was she moving? _Who_ was moving her?

She got an answer to the latter question. A rather rotund raccoon, toddling along, was leading her…somewhere. Flanking the raccoon were two bunny rabbits, white fur shining in the sunlight.

They took her to a wooded area, secluded from the external world. The sunlight shone through the leafy canopy, but there was enough shade and shelter to provide a secure nesting ground.

The infant looked serene.

 _Home…_

Time passed. Rain splashed down into the abode, leaving several small-sized puddles on the ground. Bunnies, squirrels, skunks, raccoons, and birds came to drink from them.

The infant looked around at this scene of tranquility. One bunny hopped up to her. It twitched its tail and looked back at one of the puddles.

She stared. Then, she understood.

 _Feed…_

* * *

More time passed. It was now colder. The young infant's dress had nearly vanished, leaving nothing but tatters and mud behind.

Her friends were gathering berries, nuts and leaves, getting ready for the winter ahead. The infant shivered, her breath visible in the frosty cold.

The same bunny tugged on her tattered clothing, motioning to their hiding place. It was dug out enough so that the infant could fit in comfortably with the rest.

She crawled in with them. She shut her eyes, and waited the weather out…

She awoke. Time had passed again, but how much? There were several flakes of something falling down onto the ground, creating a thick blanket of white.

She was cold. Her skin was pale.

A nudge at her arm signaled her to look to her left. The bunny was sliding some leaves and berries over.

She looked at the food, confused.

The bunny gripped a leaf in its paw, then put it in its mouth. He then motioned for her to do the same.

She struggled slightly, but was able to emulate that motion. Her friend looked contented.

Together, the pair watched the flakes falling down peacefully among the landscape…

She needed to move, to walk, to stretch, anything, _now_.

She wriggled out of the nest, flinching and shuddering as she felt the coldness against her feet.

She stopped, her foggy breath growing thicker in the snow.

The shivering started, more rapidly. Her legs trembled, and she fell to her knees.

Everything was white. Would she die here, was…was she moving?

Before long, she was back in the hut, her bunny friend nuzzling the snow off the both of them.

The young one let out a soft sigh. She watched as some more flakes gently fell from the sky.

* * *

It was getting warmer.

She noticed it straight away. It was getting warmer, and the whiteness was disappearing from the area.

The water left behind made for a wonderful drinking spot. The leaves on the plants were furling outwards, and berries were growing once more.

* * *

The seasons changed, and time went by. The young infant grew…and grew. Her tatters could barely fit her anymore.

She had grown taller, but the gains weren't much. Her hair had grown long and grizzled. It lacked certain soapy nutrients and it clung to her scalp.

She was partially caked in dirt, even though she was bathing in a nearby pond.

Her friends had grown up. Several had either moved on or passed on. She missed them.

She heard growls nearby. Those were the "bad ones."

She wasn't allowed to go near the "bad ones."

Her bunny friend foraged for food when she couldn't, and vice versa. He was getting older, as well.

The young lady had an inkling that his time was growing closer. She didn't want to lose him…

She ate her daily ration of leaves, wistfully thinking about her life thus far.

It had been rainy and muddy. That seemed to be rather normal in her area. Sometimes there was snow, sometime there wasn't.

She had friends now, all of the furry variety. The old faces were getting replaced with fresh blood. It made her sad.

She needed people like her, people that wouldn't grow old and die quickly…

The leaves were falling from the trees again. The ground was getting brown and frosty. Winter was coming.

As was per usual.

It was time to forage for food again.

As was per usual.

Her bunny friend scampered along with her, heading towards the last bunch of leaves for the season.

Before too long, they had gathered the leaves and headed back to their home.

As per usual.

The bunny's parents gave her the usual leaves and sticks for their last major dinner. The rations were in the back of the tree, to be used during the winter.

The young girl ate. She had long gotten used to the taste; the bitterness had long since subsided and she enjoyed it to a degree.

After dinner, the family had gone to sleep.

It was going to be a long winter.

As per usual.

* * *

A loud growl sounded just outside the trees.

The young girl snapped awake. The growl sounded again.

Her friend was not by her side.

Snow fell thick and fast onto the thick white carpet adorning the ground. A set of tracks led to the home, with some red drops interspersed around them.

This was _not_ usual.

Her breathing quickened. She stepped out, flinching as her bare skin touched the cold, frosted ground.

She ran. Ran to save him. One of the few animals that had been by her side for her entire life.

There he was. On the ground.

Dead. Still.

Unmoving.

Nearby, a large monster was nearby, eating on whatever it could find.

Its fur was bristled, black. Its teeth were stained crimson.

The young girl fell to her knees, moaning in despair.

He was gone. Would he come back?

Could he come back?

Did that monster do that?

Its teeth red, its fur black.

Its fur red, its teeth red.

Its red red. Red.

Red.

Everything was red.

Her wail echoed throughout the forest, causing the snow to billow away from her.

Her eyes turned green.

Tendrils sprouted from her shoulders and knitted themselves around each other, creating angelic wings.

A green wave emanated from her, causing the small animals nearby to awaken, their eyes green as well.

Deer, squirrels, rabbits, and raccoons surrounded the "monster". They were set to slaughter.

Their assailant growled, ready to attack.

The tendrils shot out and wrapped its arm up tightly. It growled menacingly.

The deer and squirrels shot forward, tackling and clawing at whatever they could reach. Their efforts were futile; they were shaken off quickly.

The beast stood on its hind legs. It roared, loudly.

The young girl shot forward, glaring at it.

Her wings enveloped her foe.

The monster was pinned to the tree, wrapped up tightly in tendrils. It writhed, but it was no good.

The girl grinned. Her pupils came back, but they were red and slightly bloody.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two misshapen blobs. She couldn't identify them; the snow made it difficult to see.

However, she was able to barely hear them.

"…the gods have graced us, Miles…"

"…Laurie, look! She's throttling a defenseless bear…"

"…shouldn't…this late in wint…what happen…?"

She was growing annoyed. Only one thing surged through her brain as she nonchalantly crushed her assailant into a burst of blood.

 _HE'S DEAD!_

Tears started to fall from her face. She wailed again, but this one was out of agony and hurt.

One of the few people that had ever truly been there for her was lying on the blanket of white, stiff and immobile.

Her aura weakened considerably. The animals' green eyes faded, and they scampered off.

Her wings were close to dissipating.

The two blobs moved closer towards her. They were making strange moaning noises.

They were bowing at her.

Through her tears, the young girl seethed with rage.

 _Who are these?_

 _Will they make my friends die?_

 _NO._

She shot forwards, launching her sparse tendrils out towards the closer of the blobs. She shrieked as they sliced through her flesh.

"MILES! NO!"

The other blob had tears in her eyes. The young girl didn't care.

 _They must go._

Her mind swarmed with hazy images.

Her bunny friend, giving her some water.

The beast, its teeth red and bloody.

Her friend lying on the ground, dead.

The morning sun glistening on the leaves on a spring day.

Two hazy looking people yelling at her.

Two…who were they?

Did she know them?

Where did she come from?

What _was_ she?

Her tendrils throbbed and disappeared quickly. Her eyes lost their pupils but were still glowing green.

The other blob wrapped her arms around her.

"Stop…stop, please…sssh… _sssssssshhhhhhh…._ "

The young girl's facial tendons twitched wildly.

What was this feeling? This warm feeling?

Had she experienced it before?

Was this… _love?_

The young girl snarled. She didn't know these people! She didn't know anyone.

Anyone…

No one…

Nothing made sense to her anymore.

Her mental capacities shut down, and she collapsed feebly into the woman named Laurie's embrace.

"There, there, it's okay…we'll get you fixed up…"

"What about theses?!" Miles snapped, pointing at her cuts.

"Sssh, it's the gods showing that you're still a flawed being~. Did you focus your chis?"

"I did, Laurie…did we do our 'body beauty awareness' rituals incorrectly?"

"That's on Fridays…"

"Oh, right…"

A year later, and the young girl was acting more humanistic than she ever had. Laurie and Miles had obtained her birth records and had officially adopted her.

"Dawn, it's dinner time! We're having your favorite~!" Laurie said, calling to her from below the tree she was perched on.

"Coming!" she replied, gently floating down to the ground.

She had finally attained a new life, one where she was happy, safe, and loved.

This was her dawn of a new day.

* * *

(AN: Yeah, short special chapter is short, and I'm sorry if this got really confusing, but I had this in mind the whole time. If you're wondering why this isn't in the actual story, I'll explain that at around chapter, uh…8. Yeah.

So, here's some interesting little things I had in early planning stages of the fic series!

In Total Drama Island, I had a _lot_ of elimination change-ups. I believe I had Noah/DJ in the final five at one point, and Lindsay went further as well. I don't quite remember who I had in mind for the finale, but I think it was similar to what it was in Season 1. Although I _think_ it was Bridgette/Trent in the finale this time.

Revenge of the Island had a different elimination order initially as well. The first 6 elims were the same, but Episode 7 had some changed orders:

Justin and Mal would've been the double elimination (with Justin being on the Maggots for 10 seconds to do so). Anne Maria would transfer to the Maggots as well.

Staci would've been eliminated in Episode 8, and Beth would've given her her phone number.

Episode 9 was a toss-up between B going home or Sam quitting because his peers were arguing so much.

Episode 10 was Dakota going home.

Episode 11 was Sam going home because he lost all his mojo.

Episode 12 was Beth getting 3rd place.

Finale would've been Anne Maria vs. Brick, which I thought was a good idea (and somewhat debate on even today), but still, no regrets on Anne Maria vs. B.

Anyways, thanks for tuning in and have a wonderful holiday season! Chapter 7 will come once…well, once grad school work dies down. Thanks for the patience as well! This next episode should be a doozy.)


	8. 7: Suckers Punched

(AN: Time to start this very large merge! There's a good reason I did it like this. You'll see!

* * *

 **Chris** : Last time on Total Drama: Heroes vs. Villains, the teams went on an eggs-citing scavenger hunt! They had to find an egg which was the _key_ (the cameras cut to the egg with the key inside) to victory! Noah got revenge on Justin, even though he wasn't in the game! Dawn showed her true villainous colors…

 **Dawn** : No, I didn't!

 **Chris** : Will you _GET OUT OF HERE?!_ Anywho, Zeke and Gwen further deepened their romantic divide, Gwen moped…again, and Heather and Jo made flirtatious small talk! In the end, the Heroes clinched victory thanks to the underdog who could, Zeke! Dawn showed her idol, and in the end, thanks to her, Heather and Jo, Justin, the big bad of Season 1 was sent down the porcelain wave machine! Aaah, satisfying! 9 remain, and it's gonna be a _lot_ of pain, coming right up on Total…Drama…Heroes vs. Villains!

*cue the theme song*

Episode 7: Suckers Punched

* * *

Jo dug into her steak.

"Man, the merge! Never thought I'd see the day, ha!" she said, before chowing down on it.

"I'm just thankful that Chris gave us the spa hotel for making the merge," Heather said, looking up from her massage.

"This is just _too_ good to pass up!"

"You're telling me!" Jo replied, smirking at her. "Allies…and lovers…until the end!"

Duncan rolled his eyes nearby.

"You lovebirds got _anything_ meaningful to add or am I going to be retching into the toilet all night?"

"For your information, _Stunk_ -an, we're doing just fine! Not like you…you…uh…"

" _Failed lackey._ "

Mal smirked behind him. Duncan turned around.

"Oh, look who came crawling back! What, come to say sorry for almost killing us?"

"Duncan…Duncan, Duncan, _Duncan._ You and I both know that I would _never_ do that…heheheh…"

"So, why the hostility? Your own lackey's gone and it's just you here. You know that, right?"

"Oh, Duncan, I'm _never_ alone."

"Pssh! Maybe your wannabe girlfriend could give me some insight?"

Jo and Heather exchanged glances. _Oh, boy, here we go…_

"Why would I ask her that? She's nothing to me. _Nothing._ "

"Oh, I wouldn't say that! Didn't you and her have some beef last season?"

Jo smirked at Duncan. "Yup! Threw her off a cliff! I think that's a _little_ more than just nothing…"

Duncan looked at Jo. "You sure?"

"Yup! Saw that _and_ Season 1. Speaking of which, where _is_ Dawn anyway?"

Cameron looked inquisitively at Dawn, who was in her standard meditative state.

"Hey, uh…we need to talk."

Dawn took in a deep breath. "I expected as much. Your aura looked uncertain today."

Cameron rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, about that…what you said earlier today, uh…did you mean it?"

"You mean my admitting my feelings for you? Well, yes. I felt it in your aura as well! There's an innocence to it…I can tell. You'd _never_ hurt any of my friends…"

"Yeah, uh, Dawn? It's a nice gesture and all, but I barely know you! It's just…weird, you know?"

* * *

 **Cameron** : It's like a weird Frankie meets Whizney TV special! He meets Frylette, they fall in love in a day, and the movie ends with them getting married! It's just…illogical!

* * *

"Listen, Dawn? I…I don't think I'm ready yet. I need to get to know you more, you know? Until then, I'm not ready. You get me?"

Dawn nodded. "Mmm…your aura's picked up its confidence!"

Cameron shrugged. "I…I guess?"

* * *

 **Dawn** : I still have much to learn about the intricacies of societal norms. Laurie and Miles helped a lot, but, well…living with wild animals for the first 6 years of your life _really_ stunts regular growth!

* * *

Gwen glared in Zoey's general direction.

"Great. Desert me, why don't you? It's Boney Island! We could _die_ here! I literally had to spend the night in bear poop! Gah!"

Zoey stared at the Fun Zone gate. She let out a shaky breath.

"Right. No more depending on others. Be like Duncan. Be like Eva. Come on."

She shoved the gate open and walked inside. The gate slammed behind her, which Gwen heard.

"Did she just-?!"

* * *

 **Gwen** : Okay, I j—wh—WHY?! Is she _insane?!_

* * *

As Gwen hurried over to the Fun Zone, she heard several loud _thuds_ and screeches.

 _No, no, no, no..._

She arrived at the gate, hearing more sounds of pummeling and pounding.

"Dammit, _dammit!_ Zoey! I'm coming!"

She opened the door manually, looking into the zone.

 _Where'd she go?_

Zoey was in a bind, quite literally at that. Larry had ensnared her with her tentacle, and a mutated crocodile was whaling on her.

"Aaagh…no… _noooo…_ " she moaned, as her face grew more battered and bruised.

 _This…this was a mistake._

Blood trickled down from her hairline, passing her tear-streaked cheeks and dripping onto the ground.

She looked at it, letting it pool in her hand.

 _I can't let them do this._

 _ **I can't let them do this.**_

Her eyes narrowed. She tore off a chunk of her shirt and wrapped it around her head, letting the blood soak into it. She wiped her bloodstained fingers onto her cheeks, creating streaks on them. She looked at her prey.

 _ **I won't let you do this.**_

She bit into Larry's tentacle, causing her to scream loudly. She then swung free, latching onto the croc's fist, dragging it into Larry, who screamed again. She broke free as the two started to pummel and tussle each other.

She looked behind her.

"Hello, _Fang._ "

The shark glared at her. She glared back.

"Didn't see _you_ here last time. Let's fix that."

Gwen screamed as she saw Fang getting flung out of the Fun Zone, with Zoey following closely behind.

"Let's go, Gwen."

Gwen just stood there, petrified.

"I, uh…okay…"

* * *

 **Gwen** : Great. Just _great._ Once again, I feel helpless. First Eva, now Zeke, now _Zoey_ of all people?! God, Gwen, you improved yourself, now buck up and take responsibility for yourself!

* * *

Mal angrily slammed the spa hotel door closed behind him.

 _God, these people find greater and greater ways to piss me off._

Duncan smirked as he heard the door slam. Heather and Jo just shrugged.

"Good, he's outta here. Now that we're…"

He looked down to see Ezekiel lounging in the hot tub, half asleep.

"…well, _almost_ alone, I need your help. Mal's gotta go."

Heather and Jo exchanged glances. "Yeaaah…I mean…" Jo said, but Duncan slammed his fist on the table.

"Listen to me. He's more dangerous than you guys realize. You weren't there two nights ago. You didn't see what I saw! You didn'—"

"Ugh, fine! But this deal breaks off as soon as he's gone. You _do_ know that, right?"

"Deal!"

* * *

 **Duncan** : Me, Heather, Jo, and maybe Zoey means an easy four votes against the Mal-ster! I…god, that pun was _awful._ Yeah, we're definitely breaking off after Mal's gone.

* * *

Mal angrily paced around the area. He passed Chris and Chef's cabin, looking in. He heard a phone ringing from afar.

 _Hel-_ lo _, what do we have here?_

He heard Chris groaning from within. He went up to the window and listened intently.

"What _now?!_ "

Chris picked up his smartphone, only to see Sierra's bawling face on the other line.

"I, uh, what?!"

" _CHRI-HI-HI-HIIIIIS! I MISSED YEW-HEW-HEWWWWWW! BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_ "

"Oh, _God,_ I'm just going to cut the line _right now_ and—"

The printer beside him turned on. Chris yelped.

"Wh- _what's going on?!_ "

Sierra wiped her tears and smirked at him.

"Oh, Chris, always falling for those crocodile tears! Housesitting for Camody's mom led me to thinking: _how_ can I get back at the host who made my life a _pure, living hell?!_

"Then it came to me: use what I…and some third parties involved…know, and completely screw up the next season!"

Chris was completely flummoxed. "Wai-whaaa? _How_ did she possibly let someone like _you_ house-sit?"

"Girl's secret, McLean! Enjoy your torture!"

The printer started spitting out applications everywhere. Chris examined the first seven.

"Wait…a _beatboxer?! A Whizzney princess who got her inspiration from…_ _ **musical numbers?! A FREAKING WIZARD?!**_ Sierra, _stop!_ "

"But it _won't_ stop, Chris! Not until I've exacted every facet of my revenge!"

Chris gasped as pages upon pages of Sierra's application exited the printer. The sheer volume and workload caused it to sputter and cough, belching out black smoke and emitting blue sparks.

"Sierra, if you _think_ that's going to get you on the show, then—"

The printer finally left the mortal coil with a loud _bang!_ Chris jumped."

"Oh, Chris, those first 7 applications are the last people to sign up for the show! Producers already confirmed it!" Sierra said, smugly shaking Cameron's landline phone.

"All the applications of me? Merely a way to break that printer so no one else can get in!

"Remember: don't mess with the girl with the most knowledge of the show! _Byeeee~!_ "

The feed cut off. Chris sputtered, at a loss for words.

"O…okay, so we got Sugar…pageant princess…Topher, what the hell, he wants to be me…where does she _find_ these screwed-up people?!"

Mal smirked as he saw the smoke billow out of the window.

 _Perfect._

* * *

 **Mal** : Fix that printer, and there's my ticket to victory! Heheh, suckers…*he twirls Cody's device. He thinks for a minute* You never saw _any_ of this… *he points the device at the camera and lets loose. The camera cuts to static*

* * *

Chris flipped through the 7 papers.

"Fine, guess we'll have to add Sugar, Topher, Beardo, Leonard, Ella, Shawn and Max to this list of yahoos," he groaned, writing the 7 new entries below the old ones.

"Thanks, Sierra. _**Thanks.**_ "

Mal chuckled under his breath as he headed towards his usual spittle.

"Time for some nourishment."

Cameron and Dawn entered the spa hotel later that night. At this point, most of the others had gone to bed.

"Okay, so, uh, I'm, uh, gonna head to bed…yeah. Night, Dawn!"

"Goodnight, Cameron!"

Cameron sighed, a little happier than before.

 _Honestly, I think everything's going to be alright._

He opened the door. Ezekiel stared at him on the bed.

"Listen, eh? Duncan's taking a shower, so it's just yo'ou and me. I need to talk to yo'ou about something…"

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : So'o, I heard Duncan talking to Heather and Jo about the plan, eh? He's not _that_ bright, ya know? I co'ould hear _everything!_ Honestly, getting Mal out wo'ould be interesting, eh? I need to talk to Gwen!

* * *

The next morning, Zeke and Cameron exchanged looks over their breakfasts. They nodded at each other.

Duncan, Heather and Jo looked over at them.

"Uh, right. What's your deal?" Duncan said, putting down his forkful of pancakes.

"Just a sign of friendship, eh?" Ezekiel said, smiling at Duncan. "Just wishing each other good luck in the challenge, ya know?"

Heather and Jo exchanged curious glances.

Dawn was just happily eating her granola and berries.

The butler came in to gather their plates.

"Mr. McLean will meet you in the center of the island, sirs and madams. Immediately."

Indeed, he was, smiles and all.

"Good _morning_ , mergers! Before we start today's challenge, let us welcome back Zoey and Gwen!"

Chef rolled up in his ATV, carrying the pair. Gwen looked exhausted, while Zoey glowered at them all.

Duncan quirked an eyebrow. "What's up with you, sister?"

"Don't worry about me. Focus on the challenge," she said, glancing at the challenge location behind Chris.

"Ah, seems like you've noticed our boxing ring, huh?" Chris said, motioning towards it. "This'll be an all-out brawl to determine today's _fearless_ winner!"

Everyone exchanged glances. Mal just smirked and folded his arms.

"Oh, _bring it on._ "

"Oh, I will!" Chris said, as a whirring sound came from above them.

"However, _I_ won't be the one hosting the challenge today!"

A large helicopter buzzed overhead. Two older men, one decked in red, the other blue, hopped out.

Chris smiled as the two activated their parachutes, slowly floating to the ground.

"Introduce yourselves, my friends!"

The man in red landed first, followed by the one in blue. " _Buenos días._ My name is Alejandro Buerromuerto…"

"…and I'm José, his brother." The man in blue detached his parachute as well.

"Pleasure to meet you all…and you as well, Chris." Alejandro gave a small bow to the host, who smirked at him.

"Hey, be sure to treat these kids delicately! Killing them's _my_ job! Hahahaha!"

Alejandro just stared at him. He was not amused.

"Okay, okay…fine. Let these two dictate things!" Chris said, passing Alejandro and José a piece of paper.

"Enjoy!"

Alejandro perused the paper as Chris left the area. "Ah, the price of show business."

* * *

 **Alejandro** : This was all part of Chris…and our…bigger plan to get an additional show on the air next season. I had to give up several months of touring with my father for this! *he sighs* Being the son of a diplomat has _several_ disadvantages.

* * *

"So, today, we'll be tackling your biggest fears in a two-tiered challenge," Alejandro began, closely examining the paper.

"José will be turning your Wheel of Fears over there, and I'll be delivering the running commentary.

"First to conquer two fears moves on to the second round…four people maximum. Odd, seems like Chris decided to shoot himself in the foot."

* * *

 **Alejandro** : If I were Chris, I wouldn't have had the wheel in the first place. I'd just have the contestants go up against their fears directly. They either sink…or they manage to escape alive.

* * *

"Anyways, it's time to begin. We will be going in alphabetical order. José?"

José turned the wheel, watching it spin. It landed right on an image of a bear.

"Ooh, looks like our first contestant, Cameron, is up against Bruno the bear!" Alejandro said, examining the paper for names.

"An intriguing twist of events! How will he fare?"

Cameron screamed and jumped out of the ring immediately. Bruno just shrugged.

"Aaaand…that's a wrap, already! How disappointing."

José shrugged. "Now what?"

"Well, the rules state that 'if a camper doesn't complete a dare, the next camper has a chance to take his or her spot. If the camper beats that dare, they move on to the next one. Rinse and repeat until we have four competitors beating two dares each.' How…odd."

"But that means that some of the darers have an unfair advantage…" José said, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Exactly!" Alejandro replied. "Eventually, all of these dares will be defeated, and _then_ what, Chris? _Huh?!_ "

* * *

 **Alejandro** : For a reality show TV host, you'd think Chris had a better head on his shoulders.

* * *

Chris's shoulders were getting a deep massage by his lover.

"Mmm-mmm, Chef! Keep that coming!" Chris said, as the cook laid out a piña colada for him.

"Oh, you better believe it!" Chef said, as he headed back inside their quarters to get their food.

* * *

 **Chef** : Chris is in for a _wonderful_ day, heheheh…

* * *

"Next up to bat is Dawn. Will she take down an animal that she loves and respects so much?"

Dawn looked perplexed as she faced the bear down. _What…what am I feeling right now?_

Cameron gulped nervously.

* * *

 **Cameron** : Two outcomes can come from this: either Dawn panics and gives up, or she goes berserk again and mutilates the bear. I really don't want to see either outcome.

* * *

Bruno glared at Dawn. Her eyes shrunk.

Duncan looked over at Dawn. Her skin was becoming paler and she was starting to tremble slightly.

"Okay, I'm stepping in!"

He vaulted over the ropes and kicked Bruno cleanly in the jaw.

"Dawn, get outta here. He's my guy, got it?"

Cameron pulled Dawn out of the ring. She was trembling fully now.

"Dawn? _Dawn!_ Come on, Dawn, please…"

Dawn was gasping and whimpering, close to tears. She clutched Cameron's shoulders and buried her face in his sweatshirt.

"Please… _please_ don't leave me…"

"Dawn, hey, it's…it's okay…I'm here for you…"

Cameron could feel six pairs of eyes boring into the back of his head. He sighed.

* * *

 **Cameron** : Well, _that_ was slightly awkward, huh? Dawn, I really hope you come out of this okay.

 **Dawn** : What… _what_ did I experience back there? It felt…horrible!

* * *

Duncan ricocheted off the ropes, hopping around Bruno with speed and force.

"Dawn might be afraid of you, but I'm certainly not!" he said, pelting the bruin with a vicious left hook.

"Gotcha!"

The bear moaned in pain, a tooth knocked out.

Duncan smirked. "C'mon, fuzzy! There's more where that came from!"

Bruno glared at Duncan. Duncan grinned manically.

A streak of silver shone in the air.

Bruno moaned, his wrist cut deeply and blood dripping out. He whimpered at Duncan and ran off.

"How peculiar. Normally, bears would rise to the occasion when faced with a challenge like this, but this one…was he tamed?" Alejandro mused.

"Regardless, Duncan wins the first round! Please, continue."

José spun the wheel again. It landed on what appeared to be a cheeseburger with legs.

Duncan looked confused, even more so as the center of the ring sunk down below.

"Okay, what now?"

The center of the ring came back up. On it was something very strange indeed.

A hamburger with googly eyes, as well as having fries for its arms and legs danced menacingly around Duncan.

"Uh… _roar!_ I am the evil, uh…Burgie the Burglar! And, uh…oh, come on!"

Duncan looked as shocked as everyone else. He quickly tore open the mascot suit.

" _Trent?!_ "

* * *

 **Trent** : Yeah, Sierra called on me to be in a fighting show. Something about (he air quotes) 'Justin making merge' and 'bring back Season 1 love'. I don't want to _do_ this. The crap I went through caused me to break my jaw and starve myself!

* * *

"Well, since Duncan broke the façade, that means that he automatically heads for our second round!" Alejandro said, dinging a bell next to him.

Duncan grinned at Mal as he hopped out of the ring. "Beat _that,_ jerk!"

"Oh, I _will._ "

Cameron was putting Dawn in a more comfortable position, which was her usual meditating position.

"You'll be okay, you'll be okay, hey…"

He heard Trent stumble around, trying to get out of the hamburger suit.

He stared at the suit, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

* * *

 **Cameron** : Another (he air quotes) "mom safety tip." Use only Frankie the French Fry characters as inspiration and as your enemy. Burgie the Burglar just…steals Frankie's fries. Which I'm _pretty_ sure Frankie has a monopoly on. Burgie needs those fries to walk and do normal…hamburger…things. *he facepalms* On closer inspection, this show makes zero sense. Thanks, Mom.

* * *

"So, next up we have…Ezekiel!" Alejandro said, as the homeschooled young adult stepped into the ring.

"José, let's see what he's won!"

José spun the wheel, having it land on a koala bear.

"Well, this is new!" Alejandro said, as the koala came up from below, similar to how Trent did.

"It's your show, Ezekiel!"

Ezekiel sighed as he saw the koala munching on a bunch of eucalyptus leaves. He looked back at Gwen, who looked mortified and was slowly backing away.

"Al? I think both of us will skip out, eh?"

"Very well then, next up to face the koala is Hea—"

Heather immediately jumped in and kicked the koala skyward.

"Aaand that's a wrap on that, I suppose. Let's see, José, let's show her her _special_ fear."

José spun the wheel, shuffling slightly to keep the blood flowing to his legs.

Heather's pupils turned into pinpricks as she saw the wheel stop on her worst fear.

" _No…_ "

The center of the ring descended, but Heather didn't need to wait for it to rise up again.

"Hi- _YA!_ "

Heather was kicked, square in the chin, by a rather cheerful Izzy.

"Hola, señorita! Good to see you again, hahaha!"

Heather rubbed her chin, which was starting to swell. "Don't you dare mock me…"

"Ooh, mock? Like cock? Ha! That's the thing I know you like from your boyfriend over there, whee!"

Jo cricked her neck. "Oh, she's a dead woman…"

* * *

 **Jo** : No one harms my babe on my watch! I'm coming for you, Izzy!

* * *

Heather was, quite literally, on the ropes. Izzy was flipping, twirling, and swiping the occasional punch or kick at her.

"You're…you're _toying_ with me!"

"Yep! Just like Season 1! Hahahahaha! Try this on for size, spider food!"

"Wait, spider foo—aah!"

Izzy had clamped Heather with her arms and legs, which pinned Heather and forced her on her knees. The latter strained as her body writhed.

"Let…me…go!"

"How…bout…no!"

With a manical laugh and a flip, Izzy slammed Heather's head hard into the pole defining the corner of the ring.

Jo yelled angrily and jumped in. "You're a dead woman, crazy girl!"

She sprinted towards Izzy and tackled her over the rope. Izzy cackled and clutched Jo's head.

"Ooh, looks like the cute boy's got your back, queenie! Don't worry, Explosivo _loves_ a caliente chica…"

Jo cringed as Izzy lusciously licked her lips. "Okay, first, I'm a girl. Second, if you've got personalities, the guy behind you's more interesting!"

Several _dings_ of the bell sounded. "Jo, I didn't call you into the ring! Apologies, but you need to take your turn _after_ the next contestant…which is Mal."

Mal smirked at Izzy/Explosivo.

"Oh, _finally._ A real chance to fight someone quite like myself."

* * *

Chris and Chef chowed down on their hamburgers and drank some wine.

"Baby, today's been sweet with you," the former said, clinking his glass against Chef's.

"Tonight's gonna get a _whole_ lot better…" the chef replied, sipping his slightly.

Chris stretched out and reclined on the deck chair. "Man, the dog days of summer, huh? Goes by fast."

"Sure does…"

Chris wiped his forehead, which was becoming sweaty. "Hey, Chef? Want to bring out the umbrellas or something? Getting a _little_ hot here!"

"No problem!"

Chris felt a strange sensation in his stomach as Chef went inside.

 _Meh. Hopefully that passes._

* * *

Mal stepped into the ring, staring down Izzy/Explosivo.

"So, how does it feel to take on an inferior?"

"Oh, great, hahaha! Kinda like how your personalities are laying waste to your brain, am I right?!"

Mal quirked an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, yeah, there's four guys there kinda doing wacky stuff with your head, woo! Kinda like how I am, except I like these guys!"

Mal's grin instantly vanished and he clenched his fists tightly.

"You. Are. _Nothing._ Like. Me."

"Aww, cute! Maybe your little glaring ladyfriend back there…"

"He's not my boyfriend." Zoey was glaring at her, too.

"Aw, lame, hahaha! Anyway, en gard—oof!"

Mal swung his fist at her, but Izzy leapt away onto the pole. "Nice try, noodles! Or, is that toodles?"

"It's _death,_ in your case!" Mal came up from below with an uppercut, but Izzy hopped on his hand and somersaulted off it.

"Aww, you trying to hit me? That's adorable, hahaha! Hey, hey, how bout this? I'll…beat you without…uh…"

"Are you challenging me?!" Mal rushed forward again, glaring.

"Oop, oop, whee! Being a bull in this weirdo china shop isn't working, is it, ha!"

Mal didn't notice Izzy's expression changing slightly after each whiff.

Alejandro watched with interest. "It's anyone's match! Although, I think I should go check on that poor koala. This habitat is _not_ appropriate for creatures of its caliber."

* * *

 **Alejandro** : With that, my popularity went up by…*he checks his phone* 2 points! Gracias, amigos!

* * *

Duncan averted his eyes to the action happening in front of him to quickly glance at everyone else.

Zoey was still glaring straight ahead, arms folded. Cameron and Dawn were huddled close together, the latter seeming less shaky. Heather and Jo were on the other side of the ring, most likely, but he wasn't able to see them.

 _Alright, back to the…wait…_

He did a quick double-take.

Ezekiel and Gwen had disappeared.

* * *

Ezekiel opened the spa hotel door and ran upstairs. Gwen leaned against the entrance outside, struggling to control her breathing rate.

He grabbed his journal and a pen, and headed back down, scribbling his entries all the while.

"All set, eh? Just gotta catch up! Yo'ou okay, eh?"

Gwen put her hands on the top of her thighs, bracing herself. "I…I guess. I just feel…unclean, you know?"

* * *

 **Gwen** : That was a secret in my…Zeke's…diary! Aka, important, _confidential,_ information that no one needs to know about! It's not like we'll be going to Australia! I would've brought it up then! Ugh!

* * *

Gwen had her hand on Zeke's shoulder as he wrote, guiding him back to the boxing ring.

"Hey, Zeke?"

"What's up, eh?"

"Listen…if we lose, we need to vote out someone…and I'm thinking Dawn."

Ezekiel stopped, looking up at her. "Really? Why, eh?"

"We've…had our problems in the past. I still haven't forgotten what she's done to you, too, Zeke. I mean, the…mind control…thing. There was the whole 'evil' part of her, and…Zeke, I'm just afraid, alright?"

* * *

 **Gwen** : God, look at me. I thought I was going to have a good time and make new friends, but, yet again, I screw it up. Like _always._ Why did Eva take a liking to me? I don't really deserve it.

 **Ezekiel** : *he scribbles writing in his notebook* So, uh, Gwen, eh? We gotta sit down and have a long talk in the spa hotel to'onight. She's got a lot on her mind, eh?

* * *

"So, I need your vote of confidence. Vote for Dawn?"

Ezekiel sighed and scrunched his eyes in thought. "Okay, eh?"

"Good. We gotta cut the weak links."

The two made it back to the ring, where Mal and Izzy were duking it out.

"Uhhhh…" Gwen said, her face contorted into a look of utter confusion.

Mal continued to swing at Izzy, managing to miss at each opportunity.

"Ha! You're messing with the person who's still wanted by the RCMP, has managed to keep l'il Cody in line, and who's been able to face nearly any non-raw food challenge thrown at her!"

"Oh? Well, I've been to juvie. Duncan sure liked me there."

Duncan scoffed at him. "Just you wait."

"Oh, I will- _NNGH!_ "

A deft roundhouse kick by Izzy brought him back to his senses. "What did you…"

"Oh, nothing, really. It's simple, even for the feeble minded. Later!"

She handsprung over Mal's head and whacked the back of it with her foot as she vaulted off him.

"Escope has no time for wannabes like you. So, be courteous and let me obtain this victory, or I'll be dancing on your entrails before too long."

* * *

 **Izzy** : It was easy, ha! Esquire got his attack pattern, Explosivo did the dodging, and when all's said and done, Escope brings on the offensive! Woo! *she jumps through the confessional roof, cackling. Splinters of wood fall down*

* * *

Mal was getting outmatched at every turn by the woman he knew little about. His face contorted with rage as his punches and kicks were dodged and he received blows in return.

"Dammit, dammit, _dammit!_ Why won't you go _down?!_ "

"Cause, weakling, you're _nothing_ compared to me." Escope gave him a seductive smile and cupped his chin in her hand.

Mal's rage grew. "You…son…of…a…"

" _Daughter_ of a, you mean," Izzy said, darting backwards from Mal's attempted blows.

She looked back at Duncan and winked.

"He's all yours! I quit!"

Alejandro rung the bell as Izzy flipped over the ropes and off the ring.

"And that's the first victory for Mal! What's next on his to-kill list?"

"What's _next_ is you, you damned idiot!" Mal's rage was growing more and more.

José spun the wheel again, causing it to land on a blind gopher. It screeched as it raised up from below.

"So, Mal's next opponent is—"

Mal uppercutted the gopher clear out of the ring. It screeched loudly as it fell into the forest, before getting muffled by loud crunching, cracking, and grunting sounds.

"That's match two for Mal! Jo, you're back in the ring," Alejandro said, ringing the bell several times.

Jo angrily skulked back into the ring.

"You're a dead woman, Izzy, and this gal's gonna put a stop to it!"

"Ooh, you're a girl! Aww, that's cute, hahaha! Anyone tell you that you and Heather look like a buncha f—"

Several loud _dings_ sounded, but Jo's angry screams sounded over them.

"You're _dead,_ you know that?! _Dead!_ "

The wheel spun again, and it landed…on Mal.

"Ooh, that's going to be rough. Mal, what's your plan of action?" Alejandro said.

"Meh. She'll get a win."

"Very well, and next up is…" José spun the wheel, which landed on…a gaggle of high school bullies.

"Well, _that's_ different," Jo said, as a bunch of meatheads rose to the center of the ring.

"Huh, huh, huh, what's wimpy gonna do to us?" one said, cracking his knuckles.

A minute later, they were moaning in pain, clutching their wounds.

"And _stay_ out!" Jo scoffed.

"Two wins for Jo, she moves on to round 2!" Alejandro said, as Zoey eyed him suspiciously. "Last up, I suppose…Zoey!"

José spun the wheel, shifting his legs again. Heather, who was waking up from her mild unconscious spell, could see that his foot was on top of a button, which caused the wheel to stop on an image of a jock.

 _Wait a minute…_

* * *

 **Heather** : Of _course!_ That button rigs the wheel to make us face our _specific_ fears. _Great._

* * *

The center of the ring rose again, revealing a certain cowering young man decked in a ruby red tracksuit.

"No, nonono, no! I don't wanna fight anyone! I _can't_ fight her! She's a _girl!_ "

"Uhhh…Tyler, was it? Chris isn't here." Alejandro looked at him, slightly confused.

"Listen, uh, ma'am? This challenge is yours, I don't wanna fight you." Tyler jumped up and attempted to jump out of the ring, but only managed to get tangled in the ropes.

Zoey sighed and went over to help.

Mal looked around. He saw Trent slowly walk out of the video-audio underground section of the campgrounds, clutching his head and dragging his hamburger suit.

 _One last loose end to tie up._

"Hey, buddy, _sorry_ to hear about that loss earlier…here, I've got a _little_ something for you…"

He handed over the bracelets from his back pocket and gave them to Trent.

"Enjoy. Should bring back some… _pleasant_ memories."

Trent's eyes widened, and his pupils shrank. "No…no… _no!_ "

* * *

 **Mal** : Now that Justin's gone, I'm going to fly solo. No more bracelets, no more alliances – it's all me, all the time…heheheh. Breaking Trent's spirit and opening up old wounds in the process? Convenient, but _worth every dime._

 **Trent** : *he's trembling, tears in his eyes, looking down at his bracelets*

* * *

Chris was feeling more and more uncomfortable as the day wore on.

"Uh, Chef? You, uh, got some, uh…Imodium?"

Chef was nowhere to be seen.

"Chef?"

Chris felt his stomach rumble ominously.

"No. No, no, no, no, _no…_ "

He sprinted to the bathroom and jiggled the lock. It was locked.

"Chef? _CHEF!_ Are you in here?!"

A cackling sounded on the other side.

"Chef! This isn't funny! Let me in!"

"Not a chance, Chris! This was my master plan the whole time, hahahaha!"

Chris's stomach bottomed out, and his lips started to burn. "Wait…you spiked my food and drink with laxatives and itching powder…"

"Yup! _That_ was for your disloyalty."

Chris released a booming fart. "Chef…let me in right now or…"

"Not a chance! You'll be crappin' your guts out in the great outdoors! _That's_ for f-bleep!-ing the wild animals!"

Chris's pupils shrank.

" _NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_ "

* * *

 **Chef** : *he's cackling, with Chris's phone in his hand* Sierra, that was a _great_ idea!

 **Sierra, on the other line** : Of course! _Never_ mess with the girl with the photographic memory!

* * *

The wheel spun and landed on the hamburger again.

"Looks like Trent has to go up again," Alejandro said, but looked over at the shaking, trembling teen.

"…well…then, uh…Zoey's our last person to move into Round 2! Congratulations!"

Zoey merely nodded.

* * *

 **Zoey** : Intimidation might not have been the ideal goal, but it's better than espousing my PoC crap for the 8,000th time. Sorry, everyone else.

* * *

"Now that we're in Round 2, it's time to face fears with fears. Now then, I'll put your four names in this hat, shake it around, and draw two out. You'll then be facing each other!" Alejandro beamed.

* * *

 **Alejandro** : To be fair, I _might_ have added that last part myself. Everyone likes a good bloodbath. It's television! Originally the final four people would've gotten immunity, but a winner-take-all brawl should draw in the ratings!

* * *

Alejandro wrote the four names on index cards and put them in a hat supplied by José. He shook it, and drew two out.

"Very well, first match is between…Duncan…aaand…Jo!"

Jo stared at Duncan, then at Mal.

"He's all yours!"

Duncan's jaw dropped.

* * *

 **Duncan** : She…she's _seriously_ going to do this?!

 **Jo** : I don't like my odds against Mal, and honestly, Duncan kinda needs this.

* * *

"So, that leaves Zoey and Mal to battle it out! Will Zoey rise to the chall-"

"Bring it on, _Mal._ " Zoey glared at Mal from her place on the ring; she had never left it.

"Oh, I _will._ "

Mal hopped in, cricking his neck and his knuckles.

"Aaand… _begin!_ "

Mal was immediately on the offensive, rushing at Zoey with a fist raised.

Duncan clung to the ropes on the other side. "Zoey, _careful!_ "

Zoey, however, had gripped Mal's wrist tightly. Mal winced, hearing slight _cricks_ in that area, but he swung with his other fist.

Zoey blocked that, too, her hand cupping his fist.

"Try again."

Mal snarled and cocked his knee back. "You asked for— _AAAGH!_ "

Zoey swiftly, unrepentantly, kicked him in the kiwis. Mal screamed as he collapsed, clutching them in pain.

"You…stupid _bitch._ This isn't over!"

"I know. Duncan, tag in. I'm dropping out."

* * *

 **Zoey** : It's more Duncan's fight than mine. I just needed the catharsis factor. No more gushing over Mike the trans, no more screaming about women's rights. That's done. That's in the past. Now, I'm in it to crush Mal's spirit, as he crushed ours.

* * *

Duncan hopped in, hopping slightly in preparation for the fight ahead.

"Good luck," Zoey said, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

Duncan looked over at Mal, who was standing up, struggling.

"Thanks. I'll need it."

"And the final match, now that Zoey's dropped out…Duncan vs. Mal! Begin!" Alejandro said, ringing the bell.

Gwen whistled slowly at Zoey as she walked back. "That…was amazing."

"I know. It's what most people wanted to give him, anyways."

"Right? Hey, uh…can we talk for a minute? It's about Dawn…"

Zoey flicked her eyes over towards Gwen. "Make it quick."

"We…we need to vote for her. She's just…not prepared for this mentally, you know? Look at her, she's been shaking since she faced that bear!"

Indeed, she was; Cameron was doing everything he could to help her settle down.

"Yeah? She'll come around. She's a strong fighter."

"You…you sure? I mean—"

"We're voting for Mal next. I'll trust you to do the same."

"Well, that's if Duncan can beat him."

"He will. I know he will."

Duncan and Mal were exchanging blows, with some connecting against each other. Mal, however, was looking unperturbed.

"Appreciate the attempts, lackey, but you'll have to try harder!" he said, swinging at Duncan's exposed abdomen with his knee.

It hit, hard, with a slight _crunch._

Duncan moaned as he clutched his side with his stiff, straight arm. "My… _my kidney!_ "

"What a shame," Mal continued, as his next blows battered Duncan's chest and bodily region. "Should've tried to fight back against me before the slaughter."

Duncan glared. "Okay. You crossed a line."

His arm that was protecting his kidney area reached into his pocket. Mal was quicker; his fist went for the same area, but this time from the front.

With a glint of silver and a flash of red, Mal's assault was stopped by Duncan's pocketknife digging into his middle finger's middle knuckle. Blood dripped from it.

"Huh…impressive. Seems like the rat's finding ways to fight the ca— _no you don't!_ "

He darted away as Duncan swung at him with the pocketknife in the general area of his face.

"A solid strategy, but as you can see, I have _no_ handicaps…heheh…"

"Oh, no handicaps, huh? That's nice. _Really_ nice."

Duncan darted forward, empty fist cocked to strike a solid punch.

"Heh, too easy to av…av…nnnhhh…" Mal struggled to move, but nothing was happening.

 _Wh…hello? Brain? You…you're there, right?_

A powerful blow snapped him back to reality. Mal was sent reeling with Duncan's punch, forcing him onto the ropes.

"Ooh, a nice hit by Duncan might have turned the tides!" Alejandro said, kicking his feet up onto the announcer's table.

"Whatever next?"

Duncan whaled on his enemy, landing blow after blow after blow, with his opponent unable to defend himself.

"This- _is-for-everything-you-dumb-_ _ **ass!**_ "

With a whirl, the knife shot straight for Mal's throat. However, his goal wasn't reached.

With a loud _crack,_ Mal's grip caused Duncan's wrist to nearly snap. He yelled and moaned in pain, scrabbling to free it.

"You're _never_ getting a chance like that again," Mal panted, bearing down on his lackey's wrist. "Now, I'll break you so that you won't get back up _ever_ again."

Duncan's eyes filled with tears as Mal ominously walked towards him.

He grinned.

With a massive _thwack,_ he headbutted Mal as hard as he could. Mal grunted in pain, but didn't relinquish his grip.

It did, however, weaken.

Duncan grinned and kicked Mal as hard as he could in his kiwis for the second time that day.

Mal screamed and clutched his family jewels, collapsing to the ground.

"I… _nnngh…_ I…"

Duncan swung at Mal's nose. This time, there was an effect: blood spurted out, and he finally let go of Duncan's wrist. The knife clattered out of Duncan's hand and onto the ground.

Duncan stood there, grinning at Mal's feeble body.

"There. How's _that_ feel, _lackey?_ "

Mal stared up at him, grinning. His eye was bloodshot, and his battered face was haunting. "Feels interesting, Duncan. Now then…where were we?"

He picked up Duncan's knife and swung. It dug itself into his shoulder, causing Duncan to flinch slightly.

"That's better. Now, you've got a dilemma: dig that out and bleed nearly to death, or leave it in and face the pain like a _real_ man?"

Duncan cricked his neck. "This adrenaline rush feels pretty good, thanks."

Dawn stared at the two adversaries. Her trembling lessened further.

"Look…they're finally settling their differences and bringing it all to an end. Thank goodness."

Cameron stared, transfixed, at the spots of blood on the floor. "Oh, God…"

"Cameron? I have another bit of closure for you."

"Yeah?"

"This might surprise you, but…I need you to vote me off. Understood?"

Cameron's eyes widened. "Wait, _what?!_ I can't do that in good conscience!"

"Cameron, listen to me. I'm _not_ well. That b-b…thing there brought back something traumatizing, and I can't stay at the source anymore! I need to leave the island!"

Cameron stared at her. "I…I mean, if that's what you _really_ want…"

"Cameron, please. If anyone would listen to me, it's you."

Cameron flinched slightly as Dawn leaned in to kiss him gently on the lips. His eyes never closed, even as she broke it off.

"I…I mean, I…I…"

"Thank you, ye savior of the bear…"

* * *

 **Cameron** : I'm… _really_ confused. Is this a relationship? Are…are we dating now? I don't _get_ anything anymore! I gotta talk to her after the elimination ceremony tonight! This time, for _real._

 **Dawn** : Cameron's aura…*she slowly inhales, then exhales*…has been unsure of himself for the past few days. I figured…I'd give him some closure. It might help!

* * *

Mal and Duncan dodged, swiped, and laid some more blows on each other. Neither side gave an inch.

"You hit pretty good for a noodle man!" Duncan said, blocking Mal's next punch with his arm.

"Well, that's the point. But that's rich coming from someone with an ego bigger than his criminal record," Mal retorted, swiftly flicking his foot towards Duncan's nethers.

Duncan dodged, then made for Mal's legs. "Can't really make a point without a leg to stand on, huh?"

Mal was ready to dart out of the way. But, just like before, his brain stalled.

With a loud _POW,_ Duncan forced Mal onto one knee. He then smashed Mal's face as hard as he could with an uppercut. The effect was incredible: Mal's face crumpled towards the center, his nose nearly shattered, and some teeth flew out of his bloodied mouth.

Mal slumped backwards against the ropes, gasping and panting. Duncan grinned.

 _Time for the kill._

He lunged for Mal, a massive grin on his face.

"All in all, that was some easy immunity— _AAAAGH!_ "

Mal's hand clamped onto Duncan's gonads as hard as they would go. He stood, grinning, as Duncan moaned and collapsed onto his back.

"Come on… _surrender._ Or you'll soon be getting much, _much_ worse…"

Tears streamed down Duncan's face and his eyes nearly rolled upward in sheer pain. His body writhed, but was unable to respond.

"Un… _UNCLE! UNCLEEEEE!_ " he screamed, to which Mal complied.

"Well, with that, Mal's secured himself an immunity!" Alejandro said, ringing the bell several times. "And Duncan's probably earned himself a lifetime of sterility."

Mal grinned at Duncan, who glared back at him.

"It's…it's not over, yet… _Mal._ "

"Oh, it'll be over soon… _peon._ "

* * *

 **Mal** : A violent end, but the immunity was worth _every_ ounce of pain. Keep this up and I'm in the finals. Easy.

* * *

The spa hotel was quiet late that afternoon. Duncan had an ice pack on his kiwis, and was surrounded by Zoey, Heather and Jo.

"So…nnngh…Mal's out of the question, _now_ what?!"

Heather and Jo exchanged glances. Zoey sighed.

"Listen, after today's events, I have…a second option."

Outside the loser cabins, Gwen had cornered Cameron.

"Listen, you need to vote for Dawn tonight. Got it?"

Cameron let out a shaky sigh. "Gwen, not right now. I have a _lot_ to think about…"

"Do it, and you have next pick on who goes. Deal?"

Cameron looked at her outstretched hand.

He then took it and shook it, feebly.

"Deal."

* * *

 **Cameron** : Today's been a mess. With Dawn kissing me, and the violent challenge, and a huge threat winning immunity, who knows what'll happen? *he wipes his sweaty forehead*

* * *

Alejandro stood in front of the 9 contestants in front of the crackling fire. Trent was shakily holding 4 marshmallows on his plate, followed by Izzy having 3, and Tyler 1.

"Well, it's been the end of a grueling day for some, and an easy one for others. Now, Chris _would_ be performing the ceremony for you, but he's…indisposed."

A loud, booming, echoing fart erupted in the distance, followed by Chris screaming in pain.

"…alright. Please, get to voting."

* * *

 **Gwen** : *she angrily crosses out Dawn's photo* Time to put this issue to rest. Finally!

 **Ezekiel** : *he looks at Dawn's photo, and hesitates slightly* I mean…I gotta listen to Gwen, eh?

 **Dawn** : *she crosses out her own photo* I'm sorry, everyone.

 **Zoey** : *she crosses out who she wants gone* I'm sorry, but…it's for the best.

 **Heather and Jo** : *they cross out who they want gone*

 **Heather** : So, is this _really_ a good idea?

 **Jo** : I mean, based on what Zoey told us, yeah. It makes a _bit_ of sense. Besides, don't you hate this person with a burning passion, O Eater of the Paper?

 **Heather** : Oh _yeaaaah!_

 **Duncan** : *he crosses out who he wants gone* Hate to say it, but Zoey's got a point.

 **Cameron** : *he's sweating onto his photo of Dawn* I…I…*he closes his eyes, and some tears fall onto the photo paper. He Xes out her photo and haphazardly shoves it into the voting machine*

 **Mal** : *he sees Cameron's sloppy photo sticking out of the voting machine. He pulls it out and examines it* Oh, Zeke, what a _chump!_ *he cackles as he grabs a photo, Xes it out, and scribbles something on it. He then submits it, along with the other piece of photo paper*

* * *

"Well, _this_ was an interesting result! Trent, please give these marshmallows out to…

"…Mal…"

"…Duncan…"

"…Zoey…"

"…and Jo."

Trent shakily did so, before gasping slightly as his knees buckled. Mal grinned at him.

"The next three. Izzy, please give these to…

"…Heather…"

"…Ezekiel…"

"…and Cameron."

Gwen smirked at Dawn. Dawn lowered her head, accepting her fate.

"Well, now…tonight's loser…with _five_ votes against…"

Gwen's eyes narrowed and her smile widened.

"…including one from their may-or-may-not be boyfriend…issssss…"

Gwen's smile instantly vanished. "Wait, _what?!_ "

"…Gwen! Yeah, I'm surprised, too, but the photo doesn't lie."

Alejandro flicked the photo aside to show Gwen.

"Apparently, Zeke voted for you two episodes ago and he wanted to apologize for that behavior…what are you hiding?"

Gwen, shaking, turned her head to Ezekiel, whose eyes were the size of pinpricks. "Zeke, you…you _didn't…_ "

"Gwen, I, I promise, I didn't vote fo'or you, eh—"

Gwen angrily stood up. "You know what? _No!_ I've had _enough_ of being stabbed in the back by people I thought I could love and trust!"

She stormed off to the Flush of Shame, where José was waiting with the remote.

Ezekiel hurried along behind her.

"Gwen, _wait,_ eh?! I can sho'ow you in this journal, I didn't vo'ote for you an—"

" _ENOUGH!_ I've _HAD_ it with the lies, the deceit, and the paranoia!" Gwen snatched the diary out of Zeke's hands and gripped it by the two covers, straining the spine.

"As far as I'm concerned, this relationship is _**over!**_ " At the last word, Gwen wrenched the book cleanly in two, tossing both halves into the water.

Zeke collapsed on his knees, shaking as he saw the pages upon pages of his and Gwen's collective work become wet and slowly sink into the lake.

Gwen sighed as she looked at the moon, twinkling in the sky. But, wait, what was that flying towards her...?

A red rocket with a duck, a turtle, and a guinea pig slowly flew overhead. As they passed Gwen, a dollop of saliva fell down, down, down...and landed dab in the middle of her forehead.

Zeke, gasping for air in his panic, screamed out to the heavens.

" _NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! GWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!_ "

His scream echoed long and loud, long enough so he didn't see Gwen get flushed, and loud enough so that he couldn't hear the _beep_ of the remote.

"Oh! My apologies, this Chef person is here to add something…" Alejandro said, motioning to the titular cook.

"So, uh, after today's unlikely turn of events, seems like Mal can bring anyone he wants to the spa hotel with him! So, who's it gonna be?"

Mal's grin shone in the faint moonlight covering the island.

"Oh, _Dawn._ We've got a date."

Dawn gasped. Mal grabbed her wrist gently and escorted her over to the hotel.

"Well, that's a wrap for today's dramatic episode!" Chef said, as the pair passed behind the camera. "How will homeschool kid fare with his ladyfriend leavin' him? How will freaky chick deal with her love triangle? Heheh…and how will Chris deal with no toilet paper? Find out on the next episode of Total…Drama!

"…I think I missed somethin'!"

* * *

(AN: Hey, a quick release, yay! Hope you enjoyed the outcome as much as I did, hahahahaha! I'm so mean. Sorry, Gwen fans!

Also, as of this writing, I'm well aware of Total Drama Daycare. I have…no opinion on it, but I hope Ezekiel might get some focus episodes. A man can dream, right?

Also, I know some people were predicting the final 8. Here's how right you were!)

Remaining contestants: Cameron, Dawn, Duncan, Ezekiel, Heather, Jo, Mal, Zoey

14th: Anne Maria

13th: Cody (quit)

12th: Brick

11th: Eva

10th: Justin

-merge-

9th: Gwen

Next Up: You Regatta Be Kidding Me!


	9. 8: You Regatta be Kidding Me!

(AN: Might as well continue with as many chapters as possible now that I have winter break. Hope you enjoy the upcoming developments!)

* * *

 **Chris** : Last time on Total Drama: Heroes vs. Villains, the two became one, and they had a _lot_ of fun standing up to their fears in a boxing battle royale! Well, it might not have been boxing per say, since _several_ (the cameras cut to Zoey kicking Mal in the nards) moves would be outright illegal! Gwen's paranoia got the better of her, Zeke was an unlikely pawn in Mal's grand scheme, Dawn and Cameron had a kiss of fate, and Duncan was pushed to his limits! (the cameras cut to Chris jiggling on the bathroom door lock) I-uh! Wait, wait, I didn't agree to this! COME ON! (the cameras cut to Gwen bobbing in the toilet, spit on her forehead) In the end, Gwen got the boot, and Ezekiel lost his girl! Will he know the sickening truth, or will evil reign supreme? Find out on today's exciting episode of Total…Drama…Heroes vs. Villains!

*cue the theme song*

Episode 8: You Regatta be Kidding Me!

* * *

Mal whistled his signature tune as he set up his dinner. Dawn was in her room, which was plunged in darkness.

"Hey, come on out…don't worry! _I won't bite._ "

Dawn hurriedly shook her head. Mal scowled.

 _First my personas leave me, then the physical torment, and now this? God, Justin leaving put me at a great risk…_

The butler came out with his steak and asparagus. Mal greedily dug into it.

"Aah, just the slightest hint of blood. Just how I like it."

Dawn was still trying to control her staccato breathing. Hazy images flashed through her mind.

 _A dead bunny, blood stained red…_

… _the morning sun glistening in the dew on the grass…_

 _A…A…what is this?_

Mal rolled his eyes as he saw Dawn twitching in abject fear. _I'll keep an eye on her, but not for this long._

He looked out the window and saw Chris sprinting after Chef, who, as far as he knew, was cackling.

 _Perfect._

He snuck out of the spa hotel and made for the host's home. He saw the bathroom window was open, and soon was inside.

"Well, well, well, they made this _too_ easy."

He opened the bathroom door and made his way to the dead printer. He pulled out Cody's laser pointer.

"Time to make things… _interesting._ "

* * *

 **Mal** : *he ruffles through 8 sheets of photo paper* Well, the temporary printing job worked, as it should. Printer broke _right_ back down afterwards. Good. Now then…let's make these pieces of photo paper show up _regardless_ of who votes for what…and of course…*he glares at the camera* You didn't see _any_ of that. *he shoots a laser at it, and the camera turns to static*

* * *

Ezekiel's tears had finally run dry, but his heart still ached. Cameron was sitting on the lower bunk, right next to him.

"Hey, uh, are you going to be okay?" he asked, to which the prairie boy sighed.

"Not yet, eh? Gwen's gone and…and I don't know _what_ to think anymore, ya know?"

Cameron nodded. "Listen, I didn't vote for her, and I know you didn't either. She _obviously_ didn't vote for herself, so that means…wait."

* * *

 **Cameron** : So, the three of us voted for Dawn, which…*he rubs the back of his neck*…I still feel awful about. That means someone's on our side, Dawn might've voted for Gwen, or…or…*he strains his head and clutches his temples* Aaaagh! It doesn't make any _sense!_

* * *

"Hey, uh, you good down there?" Duncan poked his head through the bunk to check on Zeke."

"Kind of," Cameron said. "We're just wondering who voted for Gwen and who voted for Dawn. I know the two of us…(he motioned to Ezekiel and himself)…and Gwen didn't vote for her, but that leaves Dawn and you up for grabs."

"Whatcha mean?" Duncan said, confused.

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it? Heather probably convinced Jo to vote for her based on the former's hatred of her during Season 1, and Mal's pretty self-explanatory. So, I'm _assuming_ that Dawn voted for Gwen, and you voted for Dawn with us!"

Duncan had the most difficult time hiding his look of pain as Cameron's smile brightened.

"But, that leaves Zoey…I mean, uh…" Duncan's forehead was beginning to get lined with sweat.

"Oh yeah! Hmm, where does _she_ fit into this? I mean, I don't know if her and Gwen got along that well, but…"

"Heheh, yeaaaah! Listen, I'm gonna get to the showers, you two figure things out, okay, bye!"

Duncan slammed the cabin door, then let out a heavy sigh. He fanned himself using the collar of his shirt, which worked to a degree.

"Listen, I know you're feeling guilty about voting for Gwen, but it was the right move."

Duncan jumped. "Oh, jeez, Zoey, don't _scare_ me like that!"

Zoey shrugged. "She was just going to get worse the longer she stayed here. You and I know that."

"Well, yeah, but…did you see Zeke and Cam in there? Little guy's devastated…"

"Who, Cam? He and Gwen had some…history, but—"

"No, ugh, I meant Zeke, sorry!"

Duncan sat down on the steps, wrapped his knees in his arms, and put his head down on top of them.

"God, I'm just sitting here, wondering if I did the right thing. You saw how Gwen handled getting stabbed in the back…"

"I know. Look at this, though, with the ringleader gone, we have a better shot to get people on our side for taking out Mal."

Duncan silently nodded. "I suppose you're right…"

* * *

 **Duncan** : Look at me, wracked with guilt like the people I mocked a few years ago. Man, if this doesn't get me to change my ways a bit, _nothing_ will.

* * *

Mal whistled happily as he sauntered back up the spa hotel stairs.

He stopped when he reached the top.

A slightly green glow was emanating from Dawn's room. He took a quick peek inside.

Dawn was fast asleep, but her body radiated the same green aura from a few days ago. Mal's eyes widened.

 _No…_

He hurried back to the kitchen table and found his steak knife.

 _Serrated. Good. Time to end this once and for all._

He skulked into the room and looked over the glowing girl.

He swung his knife down, down, down…

It stopped.

Just mere inches from her throat, it stopped.

It would not go down further, no matter how much Mal tried. He strained against the force, but it was useless.

However, his plan still wasn't for naught.

Dawn slowly, slowly, rose vertically, without rotating her body upright. Mal shivered in excitement.

Her neck came closer…

Closer…

 _Closer…_

The knife was _just_ touching it, it was that cl—

Dawn awoke with a gasp and a start. Her aura vanished, and she flopped back on the bed.

Mal gulped.

 _Time to run._

He quickly backstepped out of the room and disappeared.

Dawn, still gasping and panting, didn't go to sleep at all that night.

* * *

Mal awoke bright and early next morning. He showered and was ready to have his breakfast.

However, the butler was there, staring ominously at him.

" _Sir._ You were not allowed to go into the female resting areas. No meals for you today."

Mal flinched slightly, but he soon regained his composure. "Not a problem."

He walked past Dawn, making sure to intentionally caress her hair as he did so.

He smirked as he felt her shudder.

* * *

 **Mal** : *he's holding some meat in his hands* No gourmet? No problem. Hello, protein…*he eats the hunk of meat* Mmm, squirrel. My favorite. Reminds me of back home in Au—wait… _wait…_

* * *

Ezekiel sighed as he lazily moved his slop around with his fork.

"Aww, how _cute!_ Someone's missing his _girlfriend!_ " Heather sneered, as she and Jo passed.

Jo looked at Zeke and gave him a slightly concerned look.

"Cheer up, Zeke," Cameron said. "If I win immunity in today's challenge, I'll pick you to come to the spa hotel with me!"

* * *

 **Cameron** : The pressure's on like nothing else today! Zeke's in a rut, Duncan's acting suspicious, Zoey's acting like a completely different person, and…and…*he stiffens in abject fear* Oh, my God, I nearly forgot about what Chef said to me about my mom.

* * *

Chris and Chef were getting ready for the day. Chef looked at the phone.

"Wait… _13 missed calls?!_ It's all from Cameron's mother! Ah, dang it…"

"Ignore them, Chef! We've got better things to do today."

"Heheh, like crappin' your guts ou—"

"SHUSH! No, we're going to do a _challenge!_ "

Chris walked out in some _very_ different attire. Chef whistled, impressed.

"Let's do this, Chris!"

The two trooped to the cabins and Chris turned on his megaphone.

" _Good morning, everyone! Meet me at the docks in 10! McLean, out!_ "

Dawn groaned and flopped her head into her scrambled eggs.

She had neglected to tell the butler that she didn't even normally eat them.

* * *

 **Dawn** : *she's snapping awake at points* So…mmmnh! I didn't get my daily breakfast, and…*she yawns loudly* I got eggs. I'm so confused…why did Bridgette eat eggs even though she's vegan? *she finally falls fast asleep*

* * *

The 7 contestants lined up in front of Chris, who was fully decked in a sailor's outfit. Mal chuckled under his breath, arms folded.

"Good morning, all of you! Wait, we're missing the 8th…"

Dawn sleepily walked in and took her place next to Jo. She winced slightly.

"Jeez, looks like someone's woken up on the wrong side of the vegan treehouse…" she said.

No one laughed.

* * *

 **Jo** : Man, my zingers just keep getting _worse!_ Aww, that was my biggest pride and joy!

* * *

"Today, we'll be off to the races!" Chris motioned to a flotilla of boats lining the Dock of Shame.

"You guys will be using these to go all around the island! But, beware, there's plenty of booby traps to go around!"

A large yacht pulled up. Someone rather familiar was on it.

"Heeeey, everyone!" Dakota said, before pulling out her phone and taking a selfie. "I'm here to hinder you!"

"Yeah, she'll be the major one," Chris said. "Her boat's _way_ faster than any of these here. She'll be on your tail, or she could be in front of you in moments! Here's what'll happen if she gets you…"

At that, Dakota pressed a button on a cannon that was on the side of the boat. A large cannonball hit a rubber dinghy, and it immediately sank.

"Yeah! Enjoy swimming once that happens!" Chris chuckled. "First one back, though, is our big immunity winner!

"Mal, since you won last challenge, you'll pick first."

Mal examined his options. There was a wooden raft, a metal rowboat, a small motor boat, a larger power boat, a repurposed Boat of Losers, and a decrepit, medium-sized sailboat.

"Hmm…I'll take this one," he said, stepping on the Boat of Losers and chugging away.

* * *

 **Mal** : With everyone watching me, I couldn't sabotage anyone else's rides…but boy, would I have _loved_ to…man, the feeling of grease flowing through my fingers, my hair…aaay-y—oh no.*he immediately clamps up*

* * *

"With Mal puttering away, the rest are up for grabs!" Chris said, as Duncan sprinted for the motor boat.

"Mine!" he said, starting the ignition and spluttering off.

* * *

 **Duncan** : It's a win-win! Fast enough to keep up with my worst enemy, yet fixing it's a lot like working with a car engine. I've got this in the bag!

* * *

Zoey hopped into the sailboat. "I'll work with this."

* * *

 **Zoey** : Well, it's better than nothing. Besides, the other people need this win more than I do. _Especially_ Duncan. *she sighs* He really needs to toughen up.

* * *

"Dawn! Zeke! Come on, in here!"

Cameron marshalled Ezekiel and Dawn onto the raft. He grabbed a wooden paddle and started off.

"You guys are welcome to help at any time!" he said, a slight layer of sweat forming on his forehead. He wiped it off.

Ezekiel sighed. "What's the point, eh? Gwen's gone…"

"Nnngh! Yeah, so? You can still win it for her!" Cameron said, straining to paddle along the island.

"Yeah? That's not the only person suffering right now, eh?" Zeke motioned to Dawn, who was fast asleep.

With a loud roar, Heather and Jo sped past them in the large power boat. The former was cackling at them.

"Later, _losers!_ " Heather yelled, as they turned the bend and disappeared.

Cameron groaned. "Maybe picking this raft was a mistake…"

"Do'on't feel bad, eh?" Ezekiel picked up a paddle and started to row along with him. "I dunno how yo'ou'd handle a rowboat, ya know?"

"You're right…thanks for the vote of confidence, Zeke!"

Ezekiel nodded. "I'll mope later! Right now, we've got a challenge to win, eh?"

* * *

 **Zeke** : It's what Gwen wo'ould've wanted, eh? *he sighs* I'm really go'onna miss her…

* * *

"Hey, Heather," Jo said, as the two sped along. "Don't you think you're going a little _too_ far with the cruelty?"

"No?" Heather looked at her and squinted an eye. "Since when did you get some moral fiber?"

"Honestly, you've been getting a little more needlessly cruel in the past few days. Lindsay certainly didn't deserve what you did to her…"

"Don't make me _barf_ ," Heather said, turning back to the waters ahead. "Besides, weren't you the one who said your 'Jo-jokes' were sucking?"

" _Jo-jokes?!_ Let me tell you—"

Whatever they wanted to say next would have to wait. Chef came down in a hot air balloon, tossing small sticks of dynamite at them.

"C'mon, suckas!" he said, cackling. "Try an' get me!"

The two screamed as the dynamite went off around them. Some splashed into the water, while others fell in the boat.

"Get them, Jo!" Heather said, tossing some others aside.

"You don't need to tell me twice!"

Chef looked at his stock. "Hmm…runnin' a li'l low here…later, kids!"

"I'm not a kid!" Heather growled as Chef floated up, up, and away, in his rather pitiful balloon.

"Huh," Jo said. "There _should've_ been a joke I could make about that, but…nothing's coming to me!"

* * *

 **Heather** : If I win immunity tonight, that won't be the _only_ thing that's coming. Ha!

* * *

Mal was puttering along in his boat. "Ahh, what a day! Sun shining, birds singing, cool, cool water below…it's nice."

He shook his head. "Okay, that's _way_ too nice by my standards. What's going on?"

" _I'll_ tell you what's going on!" Duncan rammed his small boat into Mal's, hard.

"I'm getting in there, one way or another!"

Mal watched as Duncan hopped off his boat and onto the Boat of Losers. "Not a chance. I'll pull you down into a watery grave."

Duncan's boat swerved, now that it had a lack of a driver. It soon sputtered behind the Boat of Losers; with no driver, it couldn't move.

Zoey was slowly sailing along as best she could. Up ahead, she saw Duncan's boat, now without a driver.

"Good. That means he's with Mal. I'll take this."

She sidled up to the boat and got into it. She revved the motor and was soon roaring away.

Not too far away, a certain yacht was coming up hard from behind…

* * *

 **Dakota** : So, thanks to Sam…and daddy, I'll be enrolling in a community college soon! Who knew that learning could be so much fun! *she sighs happily* Although…is shooting my friends _really_ a good idea?

* * *

Zoey was catching up to the duo fast. Duncan and Mal were locked in a grapple, neither side giving an inch.

"Let…go…you… _loser!_ " Mal snarled.

"Heh, not if you don't let go first!" Duncan said, shoving Mal towards the cabin window.

Zoey saw them. _I'll at least hold my distance. Just in case of…_

The yacht roared in front of the Boat of Losers. It started to fire its cannons immediately.

Duncan yelped as one cannon shot straight over his mohawk. "I felt the wind on that one!"

"Feel _this_ wind, ya whippernsnapp—" Mal stopped immediately.

 _What…_ _ **is**_ _going on?! I'll get to the bottom of this!_

Duncan hit him hard with a right hook. Mal grunted.

"It's just getting started once again, Duncan! I gotta say, I admire your tenacity…you'll make a great second mate once I've made you kiss the d—"

His words were interrupted by another cannon barely skimming his mouth. Another one splashed hard in the nearby water.

He turned his head and glared at Dakota. " _Stop interrupting!_ "

"Sorry, can't!" Dakota puttered up ahead to block off the Boat of Losers. She noticed that something was rather amiss...

"You _might_ want to drive or something! You're going off course!"

Duncan whipped his head around. His heart sank.

There the cliff was, getting further and further away...

Heather and Jo high fived and whooped as they turned another bend. The Boat of Losers was within view, drifting further and further away from the island.

"Aw yeah! First place, dead ahead!" Jo said, as Heather gunned the engine.

"Not unless… _piranhas?!_ " Heather shrieked as they started snapping and chomping at the boat.

Jo screamed as Fang leapt overhead. "Yeah, that's a two-for-one on the _nope_ -o-meter! I don't want to get turned into shark food!"

* * *

 **Jo** : Besides, that's _Scott's_ job. Ha, that zinger wasn't that awful! Good work, brain!

* * *

Dakota was trying to steer Duncan and Mal on the right path.

"Alright, the _easy_ way didn't work…so I _might_ need to use some force…"

She sighed as she launched the cannon several times. It fired at the side of the boat, some hitting it dead on.

Mal looked down. "Okay, that's…uh…dang nabbit!"

Duncan ran into the captain's room and turned the wheel hard to starboard. "I'm on it! No one's getting _my_ immunity!"

* * *

 **Duncan** : I need this immunity _baaaaad._ It's either that, or guilt myself into voting myself off! *he sighs* Zoey's right. Maybe I _do_ need to toughen myself up.

* * *

Mal yelped as the ship ran right on a collision course for the Wawanakwa cliff.

"Stop… _stop it!_ "

Duncan wheeled hard port, but he timed it a little late. The ship scraped hard against the side of the cliff, causing it to bounce and buck around.

Mal turned around, angrier than Duncan had ever seen him.

"Time and time again you've mocked me, Duncan, but now, this is where it ends. I'll sink this ship and swim to the finish. See, Duncan? Unlike you, I _always_ plan ahead…"

He picked up the Boat of Loser's anchor and started ramming it into the boat from underwater. Duncan gasped as the ship tilted heavily towards port side, and it slowly started sinking.

"Good…" Mal said, creating a huge gash from where the hole he made started. "I think that'll suit me just fi—UNNGH!"

Duncan had burst through the glass and tackled Mal to the bow. Mal struggled again as Duncan's knife glistened in the sunlight.

"So, a double suicide, Duncan? That's cold, even for you…"

Duncan smirked. "It's either that or I turn your head into paste against that wall."

"Oh? That's a smooth move, Duncan, but…not quite _smooth enough!_ "

With a loud yell, Mal lifted Duncan up, trying to flip him over the boat. Duncan gripped Mal's neck with his legs, causing him to cough and splutter.

Jo whistled softly as the pair passed their stalled boat, with Dakota flanking their other side. "Listen, we gotta lose these guys or we're toast!"

"Tell me- _ow!_ -something I don't- _ooh!_ -know!" Heather snapped at her, getting a piranha out of her hair.

"Well, I see the finish line!" Jo said.

There, in the distance, was a buoy with a checkered flag on top of it.

Mal scrabbled at his neck, trying to free the legs that were slowly choking the life out of him.

" _Get…off…meeeeee!_ "

Duncan saw Dakota's yacht not too far away. Dakota was getting ready to fire the last shot.

"Sure!" He bent down, gripped the bow, and used his legs to hurl Mal off the sinking ship.

Mal screamed before quickly stopping. "Wait…I don't scream!"

Duncan jumped out of the ship and into the water. _Whelp, time to swim my way there now, huh?_

"Hey, Duncan! Get on!"

Jo reached her hand out and Duncan took it.

"Alright, so, uh, what's the deal? You're not normally _this_ nice."

"Well, it's feeding time for those piranhas, and we kinda need a third hand on here to help us out. You in?"

Duncan watched Mal plummeting towards the jutting bow, which was catching up to his velocity. "Sure!"

He then watched as Dakota shot one last cannonball.

Right into Mal's head.

" _Ooh,_ that's _really_ gotta smart!"

Mal noticed this, but couldn't do anything to stop it.

Suddenly, there was nothing but blackness.

* * *

 _H…Hello? Anyone?_ _ **Anyone?!**_

A face appeared in front of him.

 _How's it feel being trapped in the depths of your own subconscious, ya ninny?_

 _No…you_ _ **didn't…**_

 _Ah, vunderbar! This little streusen has been a thorn in our side for too long!_

 _Svetlana, too?!_

 _Ey yo, ya posuh! Think you could get the better of tha Vito?_

A fourth face appeared right afterwards.

 _Ah, ya li'l kookaburra! So naïve, it's sad, really! Thought you and I were gonna get together like marmite on bread!_

Last, but not least, Mike's face appeared. He was _not_ happy.

 _See, Mal? See where pure, unadulterated, destruction gets you? It gets you sent here. Believe me, between the five of us keeping guard, at minimum four, you're_ _ **never**_ _getting out of here. I'm going to see the psychologist when I'm through, and trust me, you're gone for good._

Mal's pupils shrank as small as they could go.

 _No…_ _ **all of you?!**_

 _Yup! I put the holes in your pretty little brain, and we started stuffin' our memories and personalities in there! Only a matter of time before you got trapped in this spongy matter! Ha!_

 _ **Chester? AGAIN?!**_

 _The very same, sonny! Mess with my grandkid, and I'll mess with you! Haaaaa!_

In the darkness, Mal's last words rang hollow.

 _No…you won't understand. This is_ _ **my**_ _time!_ _ **MIIIII-HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!**_

* * *

Mike awoke with a start. "Huh? Anyone? _Hello?!_ "

"And Mal's crossed the finish line, which means he's won himself some sweet immunity! Ooh, looks like Heather's next, with Duncan and Jo getting a sweet third and fourth place!"

Mike rubbed his eyes. "Wait, _Mal?!_ "

"Yeah, he took control of you for the better part of a year!" Duncan helped Mike onto the boat.

"So, now that you're _you_ again, now what?"

"I—I need to get out of here. _Now._ I'm not well, I'm not safe here, I—ah— _I—_ "

"Where you're going is the spa hotel! Again."

Chris happily clapped his arm on Mike's shoulder. "Well done, villain!"

"Geez, rubbing it in a _bit_ too thick, there, aren't you?" Duncan said, stepping off of the boat.

Mike immediately fell to his knees. He clutched his temples, whimpering in anguish.

" _MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!_ "

* * *

 **Mike** : Mal, I will never, _ever_ forgive you for the pain and suffering you put _my_ friends and loved ones through! Trust me, I'll be out of here first chance I get! That's _final!_

* * *

"Ooh, Zoey's bagged fifth place!" Chris said, as the small motorboat reached the Dock of Shame once again.

"Now then, _where_ are everyone else?"

Far, far behind anyone else, Dawn snapped awake.

" _Mike's back._ "

Cameron and Ezekiel stared at her. "I'm sorry?"

" _MIKE'S BACK!_ MIKE! HURRY, WE NEED TO SEE HIM!"

Dawn's aura flared out slightly, and several fish bit the back of the raft. Paddling like they never had before, the odd cavalcade was making good time to the dock.

Dawn was bouncing on the balls of her feet, eyes twinkling with excitement.

" _Mike!_ "

Zoey held her ears. "Good God, could you imagine _me_ doing something like that?"

She was greeted with awkward glances from everyone else.

"What? It's _annoying._ "

Ezekiel, Cameron, and Dawn were the sixth, seventh, and eighth people to cross the finish. Dawn sprinted off the raft, up the Dock of Shame, and gave Mike the biggest hug she possibly could.

" _Mike!_ It's _so_ good to see you again!"

Ezekiel looked over at Cameron. "Looks like yo'ou've got some competition, eh?"

Cameron moaned and clutched his face in his hands. " _Why me, life?!_ "

* * *

 **Cameron** : So, Mike's back. I don't know how Dawn feels about _him_ , huh? *he sighs* Why must love be so complicated?

* * *

"Hey! Don't look so glum. You've still got voting to do tonight!" Chris chuckled as he walked away.

"Enjoy!"

Mike moaned.

* * *

 **Mike** : Well, I gotta take initiative and vote myself out. No excuses! *he looks over at the special voting box* What _is_ this?!

* * *

Mike, Dawn, Cameron, and Ezekiel were in the mess hall. Mike groaned as he fiddled with his slop.

"Now _this_ I didn't miss. Ohhh…"

"So, Mike," Dawn said, propping her head up with her hands and elbows, "who are you voting for tonight?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm voting for myself!"

Dawn's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, really? Why's that?"

"I'm not supposed to be here, Dawn. You get that, right? I had a malevolent aura take over my body for a _year!_ "

Dawn frowned slightly. "I mean, I understand, but the million dollars – you could do a lot of good with it!"

"That's nice, Dawn, but I don't _need_ the money. Canadian healthcare's still free, right?"

"That's inconsequential, Mike! With that money, you could help set up your own habitat that can grant you everything you'd need for a healthy life!"

Mike sighed. "Yeah, but…how about _after_ I get the help I need, I'll try again?"

Cameron mused on this for a moment. "I'd like to help, Mike, but, uh…I've got a lot of things to deal with right now…"

"I'll help ya out if I win, eh?" Ezekiel chimed in. "Gonna do it for Gwen!"

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : Aw, yeah, eh! Got the good old mojo back, eh? Gonna power through everyone else and dominate this game! I might've lost the girl, but I haven't lost my eye on the prize, eh? Woo!

* * *

Duncan sat on the loser cabin steps. Zoey eyed him over.

"So, today gave you some improvements, right?" she said, finally.

Duncan shrugged. "I guess. Got rid of Mal, got a dweeb in his place."

"Duncan, don't say that. That's not nice."

Duncan chuckled slightly. "Yeah, I knew I couldn't let that slip by…"

"But now, there's a new issue."

"You mean, who to vote for tonight?"

"No, Duncan. I mean us. How do we feel about each other?"

Duncan nearly hit his head on the cabin door, he jumped so far back. " _What?!_ "

"You heard me. Things have changed between us from that time in the water."

"You mean, when I called you a w—"

"Weirdo, Duncan, yes. Look at me now. This headband, these streaks on my cheeks, my attitude. Am I a _weirdo_ to you now?"

Duncan chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Jeez, you, uh, didn't let that go, did you?"

"No, I didn't. I took that criticism. I took it, I made it my bitch. I've changed, Duncan, but there's one thing that still remains the same…"

She put her hand on Duncan's shoulder and leaned in close to his ear.

"…I still really like you."

Duncan's eyes widened. Zoey nodded.

"I-I-uh, I—uh, I…"

"I'll leave you to think about that. Also, we're voting for Dawn tonight."

And with that, Zoey walked away.

* * *

Chris grinned at the 8 in front of the bonfire that night.

"Ahh, good evening, everyone! I imagine that everyone had a pretty great day?"

Mike groaned for what felt like the 80th time that night.

"Aww, don't feel bad! Could've been like Dawn and had zero sleep whatsoever! Hahaha!"

Dawn gave a small smile.

"Or you could be Cameron! Guy's rather confused on whether the girl likes him or not, but he _just_ can't come out and say it!"

Cameron sighed.

"Aww, whatever! Go, cast your votes! This one's gonna be really special."

* * *

 **Heather** : Later, teat suckler! *she crosses out Dawn's photo*

 **Jo** : Eh, been a decent day! Heather won immunity, and I got my mojo back. Neat, huh? *she crosses out Dawn's photo, too*

 **Zoey** : *she looks at the camera* Sorry. *she crosses out Dawn's photo*

 **Duncan** : I-I-uh, I-I… *he scribbles out a photo*

 **Mike** : *he looks solemnly at the camera* Well, this is it. This is where my story ends. *he looks at Mal's photo, cringes, and crosses it out*

 **Ezekiel** : *he crosses out Heather's photo* So'orry, eh? Yo'ou're as mean as a snake! Also, I remember Season 1 _way_ too well, eh?

 **Dawn** : *she crosses out Heather's photo* She's got the second dirtiest aura out of anyone I've met here. First was Justin. Jo's a distant third.

 **Cameron** : *he's cradling his face in his hands* _I DON'T KNOW WHO TO VOTE FOR!_

 **Chris, from outside** : Clock's ticking, Cameron! Come on!

 **Cameron** : *he moans, closes his eyes, and pulls out a photo. It's of Dawn* _WHYYYYY?!_

* * *

Chris soon walked to the fire again, holding the special voting box.

"Aah, tension! Feels _so_ good! I felt, in the spirit of today's challenge, I'll go and reveal the votes to you, one by one! After I'm done, Dakota…(he motioned to the blonde holding a tray of 7 marshmallows)…will hand these out to the people remaining!

"So, without further ado, let's ge—"

 _HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK._

A loud horn sounded as a purple minivan covered in kelp and brine launched itself from the lake and into the air. Wheels spinning, it soon landed on the ground with a loud _CRASH_.

"Well, uh, okay! _This_ is different!" Chris said, as the driver's door was forcefully flung open.

Cameron gasped. In the backseat, he saw Sierra sobbing. She was bound up and gagged.

" _CAMERON CORDUROY WILKINS! YOU ARE COMING HOME WITH ME THIS_ _ **INSTANT!**_ "

Chris looked incredulously at the woman. "Uhhh, aren't you Cameron's _mom?_ "

"The very same, mister! I left more than a _dozen_ messages on the answering machine last night! I called the house to see how the sitter was doing, and I heard _her_ (she angrily motioned to Sierra) poorly disguised voice on the other line!

"Young man, you're coming in _now._ We'll _**never**_ be associating ourselves with vermin like _her_ (she pointed to Sierra again, even angrier than before) again."

Cameron looked incredulous. " _Mom!_ I'm not ready to go back! I have a lot left to do here!"

"What you're _ready_ for is a deep, _deep_ cleaning and an extended stay in your bubble! Come on, let's go!"

Mike groaned. "The longer you guys argue, the longer I'm here! Let's get this over with and I can just quit…"

His frustration growing, Mike dug his hands into his pockets. He felt something in them.

"Wait…"

He pulled out the laser pointer.

"Okay, can someone tell me what this is?"

The pointer turned on. " _Welcome, Cody. What can I do for you today?"_

"Cody?! Wait, _what?!_ I don't know why or how I got this, or what it is, but—"

" _Tutorial mode activated. My specialty is modifying existing structures, repairing electronic equipment, and executing dictated instructions. Included in my files are audio recordings of the past week, as well as a list of executed commands._ "

"Okay, if this gets me _anywhere_ , I'll take it. Rattle off that list!"

" _SHUSH!_ You're spoiling the dramatic tension!" Chris groaned, unlocking the voting box. "Okay, so let's get go— _whaaaa…_ "

Cameron gasped. Several crossed-out photos of him dropped out of the voting box, one by one.

"… _changing all fair votes to votes of -kkh!-_ _ **Cameron**_ _-kkh!-, deleting camera footage to cover up tracks of vote manipulation, activation of bracelets belonging to -kkh!-_ _ **Trent**_ _-kkh!-…_ "

 _Plop. Plop. Plop._ The photos of Cameron kept on dropping.

"Ugh, wait, _I_ did that?! Fine! That's it, Chris! I'm quitting the show!"

Mike stood up and angrily threw the laser pointer on the ground. He stomped on it, causing it to shatter into several pieces.

"Enough is _enough!_ Mal's been getting away with things for too long! _He's_ the one that rigged the votes for Dawn last season! _He's_ the one who's been trying to maim and kill people! _HE'S_ the one who messed with Gwen's head yesterday! You know how I know? _I saw everything in his mind!_

"Ma'am, I don't know you at all, but it would _definitely_ be in your best interest to get me out of here. _RIGHT. NOW._ "

Cameron's mom glared at him. "And do you _know_ my son?"

"Well, no, but uh—"

"Then you have no right to dictate how I raise him! Cameron, the votes are _very_ clear: you're coming home with me and _that is th—_ "

" _SHUT UP!_ "

Cameron was on his feet, panting angrily. He glared at his mother with a rage that no one had ever seen before.

"For sixteen, _sixteen_ years, I've been in that bubble doing everything that you wanted me to do. I've had to endure _hours,_ _ **years,**_ of that crappy Frankie the French Fry cartoon that no one but _3-year-olds_ would _ever_ watch! You know what this place has done for me? It's given me friends, people I care about, things I would _never_ have experienced if you kept me in that bubble!"

Cameron's mom looked like she was about to have an aneurysm. " _Now listen here, boy—_ "

" _ **I AM NOT YOUR LITTLE BOY ANYMORE!**_ I am Cameron Corduroy Wilkins, son of Judy and Daniel Wilkins. I am _my own person!_ So, Mom, please, listen to him. You've forced me to see Season 2 more times than I would care to count, and _he_ was the root of so many of our problems!

"Mom…if you really love me, as in _really_ love me…you'd let me stay here and fight to the end. That's what you did, right? You picked yourself back up after Dad left. You got a good-paying job, you went to church again…you found a new you, Mom.

"So, please…let me find my new me…"

Everyone could hear the gears in Judy's brain working overtime. She opened her mouth a few times, but nothing came out.

Finally, her body relaxed slightly. She pointed at Mike, then at the minivan. She then turned to Cameron.

"We will have a _long_ discussion about this when you return home, young man. Winner or not."

Cameron breathed a heavy sigh of relief as Mike clambered into the van. Judy followed soon afterwards, and the van was soon back under the water once more.

Chris stared at the 7 remaining campers.

"Okay, so, uh…after _that_ complete fiasco…Heather, Duncan, Jo, Zoey, Ezekiel, Cameron, and Dawn! Marshmallows for the lotta ya!"

Cameron beamed at the marshmallow as he caught it.

 _Don't worry, Mom. I'll make you proud._

* * *

 **Cameron** : And so, my transformation continues! Tonight, I _will_ talk to Dawn about all of this. We've got unfinished business to attend to.

* * *

"So, _that_ was a major turn of events!" Chris said, as he picked up the papers on the ground. "But, before that, I've got two pieces of unfinished business.

"Firstly, any volunteers for Boney Island? Kinda forgot to mention that yesterday, thanks to a _certain_ someone…"

In the host's abode, Chef cackled to himself.

Duncan stood. "I'll go. I need some time alone with my thoughts."

"Sweet deal! Any other takers? Zoey? Wanna be alone with your beau?"

Zoey shook her head. "He needs this more than I do, at this rate."

"Okay! So, uh…where's Chef with the boat?"

No one replied.

"Ugh! Fine! We'll take care of that _after_ we leave here. Speaking of leaving, Heather, since you got second place, and Mike…or Mal…is gone, the spa hotel is yours! Who are you bringing with you tonight?"

"Oh, _that's_ easy," Heather said, smirking at Jo. She chuckled.

* * *

 **Jo** : Spending the night alone with Heather? That's gonna be all shades of _wicked._

 **Heather** : *she pushes a button on a device, and it vibrates loudly. She turns it off* Ah, the "Two's a Crowd" mega vibrator! "Doubly ribbed, doubly long, for twice the pleasure and excitement!" Jo won't know what hit her.

* * *

"And that's a wrap for today's extremely regatta-fying episode!" Chris said, as the remaining contestants got up to leave. "7 left, one must go! Who will fly high into the final 6? Find out next time on Total…Drama…Heroes vs. Villains!

"…wait, did I _seriously_ say 'regatta-fying?' CHEF!"

* * *

(AN: And that's your Christmas treat this year! I'll try to have Chapter 9 done by New Year's. That's a promise.

So, was _anyone_ expecting Mike/Mal to go this early? Or were you expecting him to go further, like in canon? That's what I thought, too: originally, he was going to get eliminated in 3 episodes from now. However, this was _extremely_ early in, and I scrapped the idea. Didn't want this to be too much like All-Stars, you know?)

Remaining contestants: Cameron, Dawn, Duncan, Ezekiel, Heather, Jo, Zoey

14th: Anne Maria

13th: Cody (quit)

12th: Brick

11th: Eva

10th: Justin

-merge-

9th: Gwen

8th: Mike/Mal (quit)

Next Up: This Mineshaft is Mine


	10. 9: This Mineshaft is Mine

(AN: Almost at the double digits…again! Man, we're getting further and further away from things of quality, and closer and closer to Pahkit- _UGHHHHHHHH…_ )

* * *

 **Chris** : Last time on Total Drama: Heroes vs. Villains, the 8 had a boat race, and it sure was first rate! Mal nearly beat them all, but he _couldn't_ beat himself! Mike wrestled for control behind the scenes, and succeeded! Cameron wrestled with forces both in and beyond his control, _especially_ when his mom got involved, hahaha! Heather and Jo bonded further, Dawn got some form of her mojo back, and Zeke's ready to crush the competition! Duncan and Zoey get ever closer to the big smooch! In the end, Mike quit the show after Cody's device told the whole campground about Mal's nefarious ways! 7 are left, and it'll be 6 after this! Right here on…Total…Drama…Heroes vs. Villains!

*cue the theme song*

Episode 9: This Mineshaft is Mine

* * *

Heather and Jo clinked their glasses together.

"To the final 7!" Jo said, smirking. "And here's hoping we get further than that!"

"Rate we're going? We'll slip under the radar and make finale, no problem." Heather sipped elegantly on her sparkling water.

"Ha! You're not wrong!" Jo dug greedily into her steak.

* * *

 **Jo** : Mal's gone. Honestly, the only people on the villain's team left are Dawn, who's _not_ a villain, and us! We've got this in the bag!

* * *

Heather yawned loudly as she got up. She stroked her hair and headed to the girl's part of the spa hotel.

"I'll be getting changed. Don't wait up!"

"Heh, I won't!" Jo said, still eating her steak. " _Man_ , these guys know how to cook!"

Zoey glowered up at the spa hotel. Ezekiel was quick to notice.

"What's up, eh?" he said, sitting down on the lower bunk. "Yo'ou look like someone's made off with yo'our prized possession or something!"

Zoey looked at him, but not for long. "Oh, it's just…kind of wish it were Duncan and I up there."

* * *

 **Zoey** : I still think Duncan going to Boney Island was a good idea, but what _really_ would've been nice was him and I going there. Maybe I could…snap…out of this state. *she glares at the camera* I'm serious, I can't go back to how I was before.

* * *

Dawn hummed quietly as she sat on her rock. Cameron sat next to her, on the beach sand.

"So, um…are you okay?" he asked, as Dawn's aura flared green.

"I'm more than okay. Last night, I had a dream. A dream that helped me remember everything I had forgotten. About my past. About my upbringing. I also gained closure on my ability and how it can help rather than hurt."

A tendril wrapped itself around a rock and picked it up. Another came to Cameron and playfully tapped his shoulder.

"I must thank Mike…or, well, Mal. He was the lynchpin to everything that has happened to me and was instrumental to his own defeat."

Cameron quirked his eyebrow. "I'm sorry?"

"He was the one who dropped me from the cliff…" A tendril pointed to the tall, iconic cliff. "…and was the one who awoke the hidden strength locked away deep inside."

Cameron looked less confused. "Well…I mean, I guess. But he's gone now, so…what are you doing meditating?"

"Coming to terms with the strength in me. Making it part of me instead of running away from it. You understand."

Cameron looked at her tendrils playing around with the scattered beach debris. "I mean, I think I do, but…most of my strength came from other people. People like B. Or Zoey. Or…well, anyone."

"You shouldn't doubt yourself, Cameron. I've seen what you've been doing in these challenges. You have heroic qualities and you should let them shine through. You stood up to your greatest obstacle earlier tonight. That speaks volumes about your growth."

"Dawn, uh…if I wanted to be lectured, I would've opened a book. What are you getting at?"

"Merely the results of my meditation. My aura's permeating my brain, probing through its many crevices and discovering any hidden links."

"So, uh, my last question. Why's your voice not all…raspy?"

"Simple. My mind went into a berserker state once my aura was fully unleashed. I had no control over it. Now, with this dream and the events that followed, I will be working on integrating my body and soul with it."

Cameron looked back at the cabins. "Well, uh, shouldn't you stop that and—"

"Never forget, Cameron. Our time on this planet is fleeting. We are just beginning our walk on the road we call life. It is a short one, some shorter than others…"

Cameron jumped slightly as he heard a buzzing sound from the spa hotel. "Huh…what's going…"

One of Dawn's tendrils got a sensing of the surrounding area. "Oh, it's just Heather and Jo bringing their bodies closer together in the art of love. Or, in layman's terms, copulation. Oh, they're using a mechanical vibrator to enhance their experience."

Cameron cringed slightly. "You mean they're—"

"Cameron, my parents are both female and they do acts like this every Friday. Why should this be any different? They're only human…"

"No, it's just—I mean…mom wasn't very huge on talking about…(he whispered the last word) _that._ "

"Understandable. After your father left, she was reborn as a Christian female, and obtained their advantages and cons in the process.

"She's spiritual as well, Cameron. Just in a different way. Never lose sight of that."

Cameron groaned. "I _really_ hope she doesn't chew me out royally when I get back…winner or not."

* * *

 **Cameron** : I'm just afraid of the can of worms I've opened with mom. She means well, but she was _far_ too overprotective of me. Well, mom, I know you're watching. I'll conquer anything thrown in front of me, and I'll emerge a stronger man because of it. *he pounds his fist into his open hand* That's a Wilkins promise!

* * *

Duncan strode along the beachside, taking in the scenery.

 _Man, going here_ might _not have been the best idea…_

Several loud shrieks and screeches sounded from afar. Duncan shuddered slightly and held his pocketknife tighter.

 _Whelp, might as well get some shelter for tonight._

He spotted a tree up the way. It was tall, and the pine needles cloaked anything or anyone that might have been inside.

Duncan clambered up it quickly, settling on a mid-level branch. He yawned loudly, and shut his eyes.

 _Ah, man…Zoey, you're one weird chick sometimes. But, eh, I like ya alright._

He put his hands behind his head and drifted off to sleep…

* * *

Late that night, a small boat crept onto Boney Island. A large, black man stepped off it.

" _Ssssh!_ " Chef hissed to the camera in his face. He pointed at Duncan's tree.

He quietly climbed it and gently wriggled the knife out of Duncan's hand. He slowly climbed back down and crept back onto the boat.

As he arrived back at the Dock of Shame, he took out a fishing net. Putting it in the water, he found several soggy pages of Gwen and Ezekiel's diary. He snickered as he got off the boat and headed for the spa hotel.

He entered Heather and Jo's room, and nearly threw up.

" _Man, it smells like sex in here!_ " he hissed under his breath.

He gently picked up Heather's vibrator. He winced as an unidentifiable substance trickled through his fingers.

 _It's for the best…_

He silently went out of the room. He shuddered as he headed back downstairs.

The sun rose on another lovely day at Camp Wawanakwa. However, what was going on _on_ the island itself…wasn't as lovely.

A loud, piercing shriek emanated from the spa hotel.

" _MY VIBRATOR! WHERE'S MY VIBRATOR!_ "

Heather growled as she tossed aside pillows, cushions, and even the breakfast plates, all in search of her special toy.

Jo yelped as a fork embedded itself into the wall, right where her head used to be. "Hey, watch it! I enjoyed last night, but, uh…you think that's a bit _much?_ "

"Its' not here… _it's not here!_ " Heather's eyes were bloodshot.

"Ah, pshaw! It'll be fine! You probably kicked it under the bed or something! You definitely thrashed around a lot last night when you had that shoved straight up you—"

"Shut it! I'll find it, one way or another!"

The signature airhorn sounded from below. " _Morning, losers! Meet me outside for your challenge in 10!_ "

Heather let loose another scream. "Chris, I'll find this thing, one way or another!"

* * *

 **Heather** : So now, the big question remains: _who took it?_ I'd _like_ to say it's Jo playing a prank on me or Chris throwing a wrench into my plans, but it's still too early to tell. What, you think I'm _that_ dumb to immediately blame someone without figuring out all the evidence first?

* * *

Ezekiel was doing stretches as Zoey, Heather, Jo, Cameron, and Dawn walked out.

"One and two and one and two…sup, eh? Gotta be up bright and early to kick these challenge's butts, eh?"

Jo made a forced gagging sound. "Oh, great, here we go…first Gwen, now Brick. _Geez,_ nice to see such _positive_ influences rubbing off on you, Zeke!"

"I know, eh? They're good people!"

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : New day, new me, eh? Gotta keep on top of everything here, ya know? No'o more people like Justin comin' to stand in my way anymore!

* * *

Chef motored up in the Boney Island boat, with Duncan looking forlorn beside him.

"Punk wannabe's upset that his knife's been taken!" he said, escorting him to the rest. "Wonder what that's all about?"

" _I_ know what that's all about!" Chris said, as an intern rolled up with a long golf cart train built for 7.

"We'll be going to the site of your next challenge!"

Heather and Jo exchanged glances. Zoey just glared.

"Good. Hopefully it'll be more physical."

Duncan shrugged. "Hey, if it means finding my knife, I'm up for anything."

"Oh, _you'll_ see…" Chris said, as the 7 got into the carriages and they set off.

"Oh yeah, you'll need some morning breakfast!"

Chris tossed them seven cans and a can opener.

Jo was the first to open hers. "Spam? _Yuck!_ "

* * *

 **Jo** : Uck, spam? Really, Chris? Thought you cared for us a _little_ more than that…

 **Dawn** : *she looks forlornly at her can of spam* I'm not eating this. It's a disgrace to the pigs that died to make this possible…*she dumps the can in the confessional toilet*

 **Cameron** : *he looks sadly down at his can of spam* Not even a fork. Guess we're going full-on Neanderthal today.

 **Ezekiel** : *he greedily scarfs down the spam* Breakfast of champions, eh? Booyah!

* * *

Chris parked the golf cart by something very familiar to a handful of the competitors.

"Ah, remember _this_ baby?" he said, patting the side of the old, collapsed mineshaft.

Ezekiel scratched his head. Duncan shrugged. Zoey was still glaring.

Jo visibly cringed. "Yeah…freaking blind gophers landed me _some_ where around here…I know that much."

"Good! This is the site of your next challenge! You guys will be racing to the lowest part of the mineshaft!

"Your task is to find a way in, first and foremost. With the collapse of this baby last season, that's gonna be _tough._ However, it's not impossible! _I_ should know!"

"And how do you know, exactly, Chris?" Jo said, a look of suspicion etched on her face.

"Your helper/hinderer is already down in there!" Chris said, a massive smile spreading on his face. "Won't _that_ be great?"

"No!" Heather and Jo said in unison.

"Aww. Don't care! Anyways, there's some _extra_ incentives for going around and exploring every nook and cranny on the way down!

"In some dead-end spaces, you'll find little trinkets that will help you out! Flashlights, mining helmets, pickaxes, the works!"

Chef was wheeling in a cheap TV, which was operated on batteries.

"For a little _extra_ incentive, we've hidden 3 special items down there, too! If anyone finds one of them, they gain a great advantage in tomorrow's challenge!"

The TV flickered on. Camera angles showed three distinct items hiding deep inside.

Heather gasped. "Wait! That's my—"

"Indeed! You'll be searching for Duncan's trusty pocketknife…Heather's vibrator…and some salvaged parts of Zeke's diary!

"Your _other_ incentive for going down? Last one to cross that finish line deep inside is automatically eliminated!"

Everyone, save for Zoey, gasped. She glowered at Chris.

"Uh-huh. And what's stopping us from getting back out at the end?"

"Oh, Chef's got _that_ aspect covered!" Chef arrived again, but this time he was in a large drilling apparatus.

"Consider _this_ your time limit! Once you're all inside, all entrances will be sealed off! At certain intervals, the speakers inside will announce certain events! It'll be terrifying _and_ exciting!"

Cameron let out a shaky sigh. "Okay…anything else?"

"Yup! _No_ walkie-talkies or bonus backpacks for any of you, ha! It's just you, your competitors, and your helper, scrambling around the dark, dusty cavern, in a futile race to the bottom! Won't that be _great?_ "

"Stow it, McLean!" Duncan said, glaring at Chris. "That's too far!"

"Aww, the juvenile delinquent's telling _me_ what's too far, huh?" Chris said. "Don't care! Heather, since you technically won the last challenge, you're first _and_ you have a two-minute head start!"

Heather grinned wickedly at the rest of the competition. "Good. I'll find my vibrator, make it to the bottom, and clinch an easy victory!"

"I won't be too sure about that…" Chris said. "Anyways, get going!"

With a _toot_ on the airhorn, Heather ran off.

Cameron looked over at Jo. She seemed slightly discontented.

"She'll be fine!" he said, trying to cheer her up. It didn't help.

"I've got this _weird_ feeling in the pit of my stomach right about now…" Jo shuddered slightly.

* * *

 **Jo** : Honestly, I don't know _who_ would make me feel like that…Pride Patrol's gone, Chatterbox isn't even here, and the less said about Helmet Head, the better!

* * *

Heather searched every inch of the mineshaft, searching for an opening. A small hole greeted her soon enough.

 _Meh. I've taken smaller._

Heather slowly slid in. Wiggling around, and with some difficulty, she finally slid into the mineshaft.

" _Oof!_ Okay…it's _pretty_ dark in here…"

She felt the wall with her right hand. Slowly but surely, she stepped along, away from the only light she was able to see…

The air horn sounded again. " _Two minutes are up! It's anyone else's race!_ "

Heather groaned as she heard 6 other pairs of footsteps racing around above her. "Oh, great, wasted too much time going in…might as well have _not_ had my advantage after all!"

Ezekiel immediately grabbed Cameron and Dawn.

"Listen, eh? We gotta stick together!" he said, peering around any corner and crevice he could find.

Dawn hummed quietly as small tendrils shot out of her. They felt the air, waiting to feel any changes in air pressure.

Cameron was peering closely at the ground. "Hmm…parts of this seem unstable. Maybe if we all combine our weight, we can get somewhere!"

Ezekiel nodded. "However, uh…we might even need that, eh?"

Dawn's tendrils had rooted themselves into the dirt and was starting to dig it up. Cameron watched in amazement as a hole inside was created in no time.

"Alright, Dawn!" he said, hurrying towards it. "Let's get going!"

Within minutes, the trio were inside and hurrying along the narrow shaft. Dawn's tendrils made for a strong light source.

"Wow, eh? We'll be down at the bottom in no time!" Ezekiel said, sighing happily.

"Yeah, but, uh…do you want to find your diary pages? I'm sure those mean a lot to you."

"If it's on the way, then sure, eh? If not…no thanks!"

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : Victory o'or not, I'm go'oing all the way, eh? Yeah!

* * *

Cameron looked over at Dawn. She had been eerily quiet the whole time.

"You okay?" he asked, as her aura wavered.

"In my attempt to control this, I now realize that this uses a vast quantity of energy," she said, gasping slightly in the process. "Doing any other rudimentary tasks distracts me from performing at my peak of my aura."

Cameron gave her a concerned look. "Well…okay. I just don't want you getting hurt again."

* * *

 **Cameron** : I still flinch when I think back to that blue harvest moon. I never want Dawn to go through anything like that again.

* * *

Duncan and Zoey examined a small rivulet of water nearby the mines. It was trickling out of a narrow entrance.

"Hey, look! That looks promising…" Duncan said, making for the entrance. He strained hard against the rocks blocking it, managing to force themselves slightly wider.

"Alright! If we squeeze our way in, we're golden!" he said, wedging himself in between the rocks.

Zoey stared apprehensively. "You _sure_ this is going to work?"

"Positive!"

With a small _pop_ , Duncan finally made his way inside. Zoey stared at the opening.

 _Might as well make it easier, I suppose._

With little effort, she shoved the rocks aside, creating an opening she could easily get through.

"There. Now, shall we look for your knife, or shall we go straight—Duncan?"

It was too late. Duncan was already deep inside.

* * *

 **Duncan** : That knife has got more history than I ever have had with Zoey! I can't just give it up now! It…*he sniffs slightly* it's my reminder to never give up on myself…*he wipes a small tear from his eye*

* * *

Jo stared at an opening on the far side of the mineshaft. There was a small light dancing around within it.

 _Huh. Too easy!_

In no time at all, Jo sprinted inside, heading towards the brightening light.

 _Aw yeah! Gotta meet up with Heather again, and—_

Jo turned the bend and stopped dead in her tracks. Her mouth gaped open.

" _You._ "

* * *

 **Lightning** : Yeah, that's sha-me, all right! Chef and this weird, crazy girl asked me to help out with the challenge, and I was all like, "sha-yeah!" People can't get enough of the Lightnin'! Also, Chris gave me these…*he holds his hand over a jar of fireflies, so they won't get away* to help them see with! Now _that's_ smart thinkin', Chris! Findin' the best ways to make my lightnin' shine! Sha-bam!

 **Chris** : *he's nearly fallen over laughing* Yeah, Lightning! He's both their helper _and_ their hinderer! Have you _seen_ his "help" in his sole challenge in Season 2? Guy can't think worth beans!

* * *

"Ooh, it's sha-Jo!" Lightning said, the jar of fireflies squeezed onto his head.

"Oh, God, what did I get myself into…" she said, shaking her head with it in her hands.

"Well, you need the skills of me, me, _me!_ " Lightning hurried ahead. "C'mon, I know the way down!"

"Uh-huh. And would sha-idiot care to tell me _where_ he's taking me? Cause I need to make a detour!"

"Ooh, is it the protein bar! Mmm, protein…"

"Cut. _It._ _ **Out!**_ Can't you _see_ why you were first eliminated last season?!"

"Sha-please! No one could see the true power of tha Lightnin'! I'm too _gewwwwwwd_ for this dump!"

* * *

 **Jo** : And in 3 minutes tops, I still hold no regrets.

* * *

Zoey crept her way along, hold onto the wall as she went.

 _God, Duncan, I wish I knew where you were…_

She yelped slightly as she tripped over something. She fumbled around in the darkness, finally picking it up. It was a flashlight, with a fresh battery.

Zoey's face was etched in an expression of confusion. "Huh, He passed _this_ up? That's not Duncan."

* * *

 **Zoey** : From what I know, Duncan's the type to use _anything_ possible to his full advantage. Only problem is, anything he can do, Mal can do better. *she sighs* I hope he's okay…

* * *

Heather was still walking along the mineshafts, completely blind.

 _There's gotta be something around here! Ugh! I wish Jo were here. Least I'd feel less paranoid._

Heather stopped, her ears perking up. In the distance, she swore she could hear something revving up outside.

The speakers whined on. They crackled as Chris spoke.

" _Greetings, everyone! Chef's starting up the drill, so, uh, I'd start heading further in if I were you! Hahahaha!_ "

Heather yelled and started sprinting into the pitch blackness.

"Help! _Help!_ They're after me!"

She ran, screaming, until she tripped over a loose rock. She yelled even louder, and she started to plummet.

Down…

Down…

Down…

* * *

Zoey continued down the mineshaft, flashlight beam illuminating the walls.

 _Come on, Duncan, where are you…_

Zoey arrived at a drop-off point. She still saw neither hide nor hair of Duncan.

 _Did…did he jump down?_

She stared into the deep, dark abyss.

 _Well, no time like the present…_

She knelt down, went as low as she could go on the ledge, and slipped off.

Ezekiel's ears perked up as he heard the wind whooshing nearby.

"What was that, eh?"

Dawn felt the area with her tendrils. "Zoey has jumped off a ledge."

" _What?!_ Is she _nuts?_ " Cameron leaned against the wall to steady his breathing.

"She's your friend, isn't she Cameron?" Dawn asked. "We must go help her."

Cameron sighed. "I dunno. Things have been _weird_ between us lately."

* * *

 **Cameron** : With Duncan and Zoey being so close, and especially my odd relations with her, it's…it's all just so confusing!

* * *

Heather was gasping and panting. Her wedges weren't making running through the dark, twisted mineshaft any easier.

 _Gotta find someone…gotta find_ _ **someone…**_

A small light bobbed up and down ahead. It illuminated several passages ahead, which Heather was passing at an alarming rate.

"HELP! _HELP! ANYONE!_ "

"Aw, come on! She can't sha-shut up?!"

Jo gasped. " _Heather?!_ "

" _Jo!_ Oh-my-Gawd! I can't believe it!" Heather ran straight into Jo's awkward embrace, picked her up, swung her around, and finally kissed her.

Lightning shrugged. "Ooh, I see tunnels! And when there's tunnels, there's always a light at the _end_ of them!"

* * *

 **Lightning** : Every football game! Sha-boom! Lights at the end of _those_ tunnels, baby! *he kisses his biceps*

* * *

Lightning sprinted down the nearest tunnel. Heather gasped, watching their only source of light disappear.

"Oh, _no!_ Jo, baby, hurry!"

Jo immediately pinned Heather to the wall. "Listen. Something's up with you, and I intend to know what."

The doe eyes disappeared, and the familiar smirk Jo knew all too well appeared on Heather's face.

"Knew you'd see through it."

* * *

 **Heather** : Simple strategy! Play defenseless and damsel-in-distress, get the perks of being me. Ah, the advantages of feminine charms. Shame it was only Jo around. Imagine if it was someone gullible, like Ezekiel.

* * *

The loudspeakers crackled on. " _How's everyone holding up, huh? Guess what? Chef's going to start drilling!_ "

A loud rumble sounded throughout the mineshaft. The ground trembled slightly.

Heather clamped Jo's shoulders. Jo narrowed her eyes.

"Less fearing, more steering. Our light source is getting away!" She pointed angrily at their only light source, which grew dimmer and dimmer as Lightning got further and further away.

"C'mon!"

The pair hurried off after him.

Dawn sighed slightly as she felt the walls quake.

"We need to go further down. The mine will start collapsing, bit by bit. We don't want to be caught in the rubble."

Cameron nodded. "Do you know the way?"

The tendrils felt the air. One pointed to their right.

"Yes. Hurry."

Zeke led the way as the three made it through a small tunnel and appeared on the edge of a ledge. Several other tunnels were strewn out below.

A tendril sensed the air again. "I feel an object near here."

Zeke broke out into a grin. "Lead the way down, eh!"

"Only one problem. I'm incapable of procuring my wings at the moment…unless…"

A large rock slammed down near Cameron's left foot. "No time! We need to get down… _nooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!_ "

Cameron screamed loudly as he jumped. Zeke's eyes turned into pinpricks.

"No, eh!"

Dawn's eyes opened, glowing a steady pale green. Her breathing intensified.

Her tendrils shot out to grab Cameron, but their efforts were futile.

Cameron was going down…down… _down…_

Zoey groaned as she rubbed her legs.

 _That…was steeper than I thought._

She shone the light around the area. Parts of it looked slightly familiar, especially to one who watched Season 2 before.

The remains of what appeared to be a massive mutated gophers nest stood before her. Nestled within were several sheafs of paper, as well as a cover.

Zoey thought for a few moments. _Wait. Is this another nest? The one Jo and Staci were in last season was much closer to the surface…_

She picked up the paper and cover and set off.

 _Guess they made nests all over this place, then…that's right, the Season 2 challenge was mostly near the surface._

She gripped the paper and set off. _Why's Duncan avoiding all of this? Is he_ that _attached to that knife of his?_

A low rumble sounded from overhead, and some loose rocks clattered onto the floor. Zoey took a deep breath.

 _Right. No time to lose._

She hurried onward, flashlight beam illuminating the way ahead.

Elsewhere, another source of light was running along, ignorant of the couple behind him, trying to catch up.

"Aw, yeah! Nice night for sha-sprintin'!" Lightning said, hurrying along. "No care in the world, nothin' to worry about…it's all sha-g-OOF!"

Lightning slammed hard into the wall. Heather and Jo finally caught up to him.

"Oh, _great._ A dead end! Thanks a lot, Liability!" Jo said, gripping his upper arm hard. "Let's go!"

"Sha- _aaaaaah!_ " Lightning was yelling as Heather and Jo ran back to where they started.

The rumbling picked up as they made it back to the junction. "Right…" Jo mused. " _One_ of these has to lead deeper in…"

Heather watched anxiously as the ceiling above them cracked. "Uh…I think we have to pick something, _now!_ "

Jo licked her finger and felt the air. "Huh, this one's a _little_ bit staler…" she said. "Also, I think I feel an open passage just ahead…"

The tunnel sloped downwards. Heather, Lightning and Jo hurried along. The rumbling grew louder.

Meanwhile, further down below, the loudspeakers crackled on again. " _Okay, so, uh, Chef's about a quarter of the way down! Top levels are starting to collapse further than they were! Man, wasn't that Season 2 challenge a_ blast?"

Jo scowled. Heather gave her a look.

"You weren't even _there!_ "

"Yeah, but the gophers sure wanted a bite outta me- _whoa…oa…oa…_ "

Jo screeched to a halt just in time. Rocks skittered down the open passage, which was similar to what Cameron, Dawn, and Ezekiel got out of.

Jo looked straight down. "Huh…wonder where everyone _else_ got to…"

A loud _thump_ above her answered her question. Several loose rocks fell around them.

Heather craned her neck upwards. She gasped.

"Okay… _what in the world is…_ "

Jo looked up as well. Her jaw dropped.

There Dawn was, aura flaring out on all sides of her. Her tendrils were waving madly in an effort to do something. Ezekiel's head popped up from a precipice above the two.

Heather winced as she saw Dawn's tendril latch onto the ledge above them. She jumped backwards as Dawn's body caught up. Her tendril strained as Dawn's aura flared again.

"Listen, weirdo, just…go up there and hang out with your loser friends!" she snapped.

Dawn's pale gaze was fixated right on her.

"I will do that. I will go up there, and I will find your precious object, and we will head to the finish line with it in hand."

Heather swore she felt her stomach drop.

Dawn slowly raised herself up with her aura. She stared over at the three.

"I'd be careful if I were you."

"Ha! Careful, shmareful, let's get sha- _goin'!_ " Lightning shoved both Heather and Jo down the shaft before jumping in himself. "Can _nonbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllll…_ "

Heather and Jo screamed loudly as they plummeted down, down, down…

Ezekiel watched the pair fall. "Well, uh…how can I get down there from here, eh?"

Dawn finally pulled herself up. "Please, stay there. Cameron will go find the item, and I'll be his guiding light."

Cameron had already disappeared. Dawn slowly walked after him. "We'll be back."

"Well…o'okay, eh? I'll see what I can do'o…"

Dawn slowly walked along behind Cameron. Her aura flickered slightly.

 _This isn't good…I'm running low on stamina._

Cameron, however, had better luck.

"I got it!" he shouted, hoisting up Heather's vibrator in his hand. He then cringed as he felt some liquid seep through his fingers.

"Okay, that's… _gross._ "

* * *

 **Cameron** : It's anyone's guess as to what _that_ was used for. Maybe…no, mom never used things like that.

* * *

Before too long, the two were back at the large tunnel complex.

"Zeke! Jump!" Cameron said, screeching to a halt by the edge of their cliff. "Dawn'll catch you!"

Ezekiel gulped. "Yo'ou sure, eh?"

"Positive! Dawn, get ready!"

Dawn got into position, her tendrils ready to catch Ezekiel like a flower would catch an insect. She shook slightly, something Cameron wasn't unaware of.

"Dawn? Are you okay?"

"I'll…I'll do my best."

With a loud yell, Ezekiel jumped, his eyes shut tight. He braced himself for the worst.

Thankfully, Dawn caught him and gently placed him down onto the ledge.

"We must hurry. Everyone else is down below and…"

A loud rumble above them confirmed their worst fears.

"Come on!" Cameron said, taking Dawn and Ezekiel by the hand and jumping down.

The three screamed loudly as they plummeted…

* * *

The rumbling intensified in the lower chambers of the mineshaft. Rock started to fall at a higher intensity than they had before.

Zoey sighed slightly as her flashlight beam grew dimmer…and dimmer…and dimmer.

 _Great. No sign of Duncan, this flashlight beam's about to give out…thankfully I have Ezekiel's diary pages._

The loudspeakers crackled on. " _Hey. Why so glum? You're almost there, and the drill's about 2/3 of the way down! Ha!_ "

Zoey sighed as she saw several larger-sized rocks tumble and fall in front of her.

 _Fine. Let's find this exit…_

 _ **THOOM.**_

 _ **THOOM.**_

 _ **THOOM.**_

Larger rocks started to cascade from the upper levels. Zoey's eyes widened.

 _Change of plan._

Bracing her back against the wall, Zoey grunted loudly as she put the whole weight of the mineshaft ceiling onto her shoulders.

Dawn's tendrils were getting pelted by rocks. She had used them to anchor the three to the shaft, and was slowly climbing down.

"Easy, Dawn…easy…" Cameron gulped as the quantity of the rocks increased.

Ezekiel had his eyes wrenched shut. "Let me kno'ow when it's over, eh!"

The rocks started to fall faster. Whole chunks of the shafts above were starting to rain down on the three.

Dawn grunted in pain. "I…I need to… _let go!_ "

With the last of her energy, she let go of the wall, sending the three screaming. Dawn gasped slightly as she used her rapidly shrinking tendrils to gently land them on the ground.

Zoey gasped as the weight on her shoulders increased tremendously. "Guys…I hear drilling this way! This _has_ to be the exit!"

"Alright!" Cameron escorted Dawn along as best he could. Ezekiel flanked the rear, making sure there were no boulders dropping nearby.

Zoey strained, sweat coursing down her forehead. She shakily started to rise, part of the mineshaft lifting with her.

"Zoey? _Zoey!_ "

Zoey gasped. " _Duncan?!_ "

Duncan came running out of an adjacent passage, pocketknife in hand.

"Oh, man, _finally!_ I was wondering where you'd gotten to…hey, why are you not, uh…all calm and mellow?"

"Duncan, _not now!_ Where _were_ you?! Why didn't you grab this flashlight? _Why_ did you leave me to die in the darkness?"

"Oh, seriously? Zoey, you're speaking to the _king_ of busting out of juvie! My vision at night's like a hawk's! Wait…that doesn't sound quite right…"

"Duncan, _go!_ I'll hold this up, just—"

Anything Zoey was about to say was interrupted. A large rock slammed down on her leg, causing a loud _snap_ to ring around the area.

Zoey shrieked. This alerted Jo, Heather, and Lightning, who screeched to a halt.

"Ooh, that sounds harsh…" Jo said, staring at the tumbling rocks in front of them.

"Sha-please! Broken bones are a day's work for the Lightnin'! Sha-boom!"

Lightning was off in a flash…again. Jo and Heather groaned, running after him.

Cameron was gasping and panting with the effort needed to support Dawn. Ezekiel was continually looking behind him as they went.

Presently, they heard the snap and the scream. Ezekiel's eyes shrunk, and his already pale skin grew paler.

"I'm go'oing back, eh?"

"Zeke, _no!_ Are you insane?! You're going to die!"

"I'm _never_ leaving a man…or wo'oman behind, eh?!"

* * *

 **Ezekiel** : I might've said this befo'ore, but I'll _never_ abandon anyone again, eh? _Never!_

* * *

With a shove, Ezekiel launched Cameron and Dawn towards a cul-de-sac in the cave. This one, however, wasn't a mere dead-end: there were small pricks of light coming out of it.

The loudspeakers crackled on. " _Cameron and Dawn are first to reach the bottom! Cameron crossed first,_ and _he had one of the three items, so he gets immunity and a major advantage in the next challenge!_ "

Cameron weakly pumped his fist. "Yaaaaay…"

" _Oh, and Dawn crossed with him! She's also safe…and both of them will be working together in next episode's challenge!_ "

Dawn weakly moaned. "Wha…"

" _Aww, you'll see! I wonder who'll be next?_ "

Ezekiel sprinted back towards Zoey, who was struggling to do anything.

"Oh, _crap!_ "

"Nnngh, tell me about it!" Duncan grunted as he futilely strained against Zoey's boulder.

Ezekiel did the same, but their combined efforts were just as fruitless as before.

"SHA-AAAAAAH! _EVERY MAN, WOMAN, AND JO FOR HIM, HER, OR JO-SELF! RUN FOR YOUR LIIIIIIIIIIVES!_ "

Lightning sprinted past the three, who stared at him in shock. Heather and Jo were right behind him.

Duncan gritted his teeth. "That's _it!_ I'll get you out here or die try—"

" _No._ " Zoey clenched her teeth as she said it.

Duncan stopped, mouth open. Heather and Jo skidded to a halt.

Jo whistled slightly. "Dang. Wasn't expecting it to be _that_ bad…"

"I kno'ow, eh? Pretty rough…"

Heather smirked. "Alright. We're leaving. Meaning you three will be up for elimination…although I don't like _your_ (she grinned maliciously at Zoey) chances."

Duncan's fists clenched tighter than they ever had before. " _You take that back._ "

"Try me!"

"Duncan, _don't you dare._ "

Duncan turned angrily to see Zoey looking at him pleadingly. His expression softened slightly.

"Duncan, _no._ I know how you feel, better than anyone, but…taking it out on others isn't going to help."

Duncan started to tremble slightly again. "You think after all the crap Mal put me through, after _everything,_ I'm going to roll over and—"

"Duncan, Mal's _gone._ He doesn't control you anymore. You need to let go of the past…let go of _him._ "

"Zoey, I—I ju—this knife means _everything_ to me! It's who I am, it's what I'm all about, it's—it's—"

"Come closer, Duncan."

Duncan knelt down, flinching as some rocks barely missed him. Jo smirked.

"Aww, wookit the cootey wootey couple!"

Heather folded her arms. "Oh, I'm _so_ going to love this drama. How about we stick around?"

"Duncan…you're _easily_ the best thing that's happened to me on this show. I mean, I started off so—so, uh, weird…and…well…you know."

Duncan stifled a small chuckle.

"Duncan, you're the major reason I'm the way I am, right now…and, well…I can't thank you enough—"

Duncan gasped slightly as Zoey shot forward, kissing him fiercely on the lips and clutching his face and neck so he wouldn't wrench away. His eyes slowly closed as he returned it, gripping her shoulders tightly.

Jo gagged as Zoey moved her hands down to his shoulders, gently massaging them. Heather rolled her eyes.

"Come on, let's get go—"

With a small amount of effort, Zoey gripped Duncan's shoulders, slid him slightly over, and flung him right into Heather's chest, sending the pair toppling down the shaft.

Jo was beside herself. " _HEY!_ That's _my_ girlfriend you're messing with!"

Zoey gave a small smirk. "Better mess with a different girl, then."

Ezekiel stared at Zoey, stunned. "What's _with_ yo'ou, eh?!"

"Listen. Get out of here. _Now._ It's not safe."

"B-but the challenge, eh?"

"I'll take this loss. _GO!_ "

Ezekiel quickly nodded and sprinted off. All Zoey had now for company was her flashlight…which quickly went out.

 _Thankfully I didn't saddle him with_ that _responsibility…_

With that, Zoey was soon engulfed in a large pile of rocks and stones…

Duncan and Heather grappled as they inched closer to the finish line.

"Let _go_ of me!"

"I didn't agree to this, sister!"

With a grunt, Heather finally flung Duncan's pocketknife out of his grip. "Gotcha!"

Duncan gnashed his teeth. "Oh, I'm not done yet!"

"Heather! _Heather!_ I—oh, jeez…"

Jo stopped just short of the two. A cascade of rocks fell right near them…pulverizing Duncan's knife.

" _Noooooooooooooo!_ " Duncan cried out in dismay. Heather smirked and kicked him.

Right across the finish line.

" _Looks like Heather and Duncan are next! Good luck working together tomorrow!_ "

Duncan stared in dismay at Heather, who did likewise. " _What?!_ "

"I literally just kicked you! How did _that_ count?!"

" _I just keep getting better…ooh, means Zeke and…Jo are the last to cross!_ "

Ezekiel sprinted into the room, with Jo following him, flabbergasted.

"Un- _real!_ I'm with _this_ string bean in the next challenge? Not cool!"

" _Oh, it will be…ooh, Chef's finally cleared!_ "

Indeed, he did. Chef burst through the ceiling, drill whirring wildly.

"C'mon, scrawny kids! We're gettin' outta this joint…"

* * *

Chris stood in front of 6 competitors, with Lightning holding a tray of that many marshmallows.

"Well, well! What a day it's been! Congratulations to all of you for getting out alive…some…better than others…but this means that you guys are moving on!

"As for tonight's eliminee, no voting is required."

Chef had an extremely battered and bruised Zoey over his shoulder. She moaned in pain.

"Zoey! Last to arrive _and_ got injured! Two-for-one, you're out of the game!"

Duncan groaned, punching his open hand with his fist.

"Dammit! Zoey, I…hang on."

He got up and ran to the Flush of Shame, where Chef was loading her in.

"Listen…Zoey, it's been great having you here, you know. I just wanna say, I'm sorry for any-everything I, uh, may or may not have done to you in the past and…yeaaah…God, I suck at this…"

Chris could barely manage to hide his smirk. "Sure, you do! Alright, Lightning…hand these babies out to…

"…Cameron…

"…Dawn…

"…Duncan…(this one bounced off the back of his head, and he turned back, glaring.)

"…Heather…

"…Ezekiel…

"…aaand Jo!"

Jo smirked as she caught the final marshmallow. "Just as it should be!"

"Sha-shut it, dude!"

"Uh- _huh._ "

* * *

 **Jo** : Of _course,_ he'd think I'm a dude. Did he hit his head somewhere down there?

* * *

"Cameron! With immunity, the spa hotel is yours…and you can bring any other person of your choice along with you!"

Cameron looked over at Dawn. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Sure! Knock yourself out…maybe literally, given what your partner's like…"

Duncan sighed. "I'm gonna miss you, man."

As Chef pushed the button, Duncan swore he saw a hint of a smile on Zoey's face as she spun around and vanished from view…

* * *

 **Duncan** : Well, looks like it's just me left in this strange alliance…and maybe Heather and Jo. Not sure who I can trust anymore, _especially_ at this stage of the game. Maybe it's time I shifted my priorities…went lone wolf, maybe?

* * *

"And that's a wrap! Find out which contestants' links to the others stand the test of time, and whose will shatter immediately…next time on Total…Drama…Heroes vs. Villains!" Chris said, as the cameras shut off.

"… _WAIT! DID ANYONE WANT TO VOLUNTEER FOR BONEY ISLAND?!_ "

" _We do!_ " Heather and Jo shouted from afar, the latter having her returned vibrator in her hands.

"Sure! Chef, let's get rocking!"

* * *

(AN: And we reached double digits! Not sure _when_ Episode 10 will release…it's just, grad school starts very soon, and I need to focus on that. Be prepared for a small break. Sorry!

Also, hey, Zoey made 7th place! Not bad for who was originally hate bait. Whatcha think?)

Remaining contestants: Cameron, Dawn, Duncan, Ezekiel, Heather, Jo

14th: Anne Maria

13th: Cody (quit)

12th: Brick

11th: Eva

10th: Justin

-merge-

9th: Gwen

8th: Mike/Mal (quit)

7th: Zoey (injury)

Next Up: A Triage of Trouble


	11. 10: A Triage of Trouble

(AN: Chapter 10! 3 more to go! 6 people left! What a fun time!)

* * *

 **Chris** : Last time on Total Drama: Heroes vs. Villains, the 7 remaining competitors went into the mineshafts to score some buried loot! Also, they had to go down to the deepest, dankest part of it! Hahahaha! Lightning did _not_ help at all, while Cameron, Ezekiel, and Dawn worked together to clinch victory! Heather and Jo had to deal with the frightening Lightning, while Duncan and Zoey got split! Zoey fought to the end, but unfortunately, she suffered a _crushing_ (the cameras cut to Zoey getting bombarded by the falling mineshaft) defeat! So, she was sent packing! 6 left, and they all gotta get along! Who will finish strong? Find out on Total…Drama…Heroes vs. Villains!

*cue the theme song*

Episode 10: A Triage of Trouble

* * *

Dawn closed her eyes as the butler poured her a glass of water.

"Ahh…thank you."

Cameron, who sat across from her, smiled.

"Not a problem. Well, we gotta thank Ezekiel. He's the one who got us here in the first place!"

"Indeed. He's changed a bit, hasn't he?"

Cameron shrugged. "Well, losing Gwen, well, uh…that's gotta be a major hit to his confidence, right?"

Dawn swirled the water in her glass. "I'm not sure. Maybe we can bring it up with him tomorrow?"

"I don't think so. He's got something good going."

Dawn pursed her lips.

"Well, his aura _has_ changed…but is it really for the better?"

Cameron shrugged. "I haven't really _seen_ Season 1…Mom said it had too much 'indecent' material for a guy my age…"

"You're still thinking like that…?"

Dawn gently placed a hand on Cameron's and massaged his hand.

"Cameron, your aura…the way it was when you stood up to your mother…I need to see that again."

Cameron stared at her, confused. "I'm sorry?"

Dawn sighed. "I'm sorry…I'm confused, too...my auras are wavering inside, you see…"

Cameron was still staring at her. "Really? You don't seem that different to me."

"Cameron, I think something we both need to work on is our…social etiquette, was it?"

"You think so?"

"I know so. Being raised by wild animals until the age of 6 does horrors to one's mental capabilities."

"Yeah…guess being in a bubble until you were 16 does something similar, huh?"

"Well, it's not _all_ bad, right? See…we can conquer this. Together."

With that, Dawn leaned in close to Cameron and gently kissed him on the lips.

* * *

Duncan stretched out on the bunk bed.

"This _sucks!_ Zoey's gone, and I don't have anything to show for it! Not even immunity!"

"Do'on't feel bad, eh? Yo'ou don't see me complaining aboot Gwen, ya know?"

"Yeah, but…you're different."

Ezekiel rubbed his forearm, looking down at the wooden floor. A cockroach scuttled across it.

"Yo'ou think so, eh? Well…we were happy, Gwen and me. But then _Mal—_ "

"Hey! Relax…chill! He's gone!" Duncan sat up, looking at Ezekiel. The latter was shaking, tears trickling down his face.

"I do'on't want to sho'ow it to the others, eh? But _it hurts, eh?_ "

Duncan immediately went over and put a hand on Ezekiel's back. The prairie boy's breaths shook as he steadied himself, and before long, the tears had stopped flowing.

"Hey, Zeke, c'mon…" he said, rubbing the homeschool's back slightly. "Tomorrow's another day, right? We got this."

"I…I ho'ope so, eh?"

Duncan sighed and looked out the window. "Least _one_ couple out there's having a good time..."

* * *

On Boney Island, loud buzzing noises emanated, along with shrieks, hollers, and moans. The animals were scattered along the fringes of the island.

A beaver looked at a bear, confused. The bear shrugged.

* * *

One of Dawn's tendrils wriggled near the spa hotel window, which faced out towards Boney Island. She gave it a small smile.

"Well, seems like a certain couple are taking advantage of their isolation…" she said.

Cameron was still slightly dazed from the kiss; he had never had anything like that happen before. "Yeah, huh, whaaa…"

Dawn gave him a small giggle. "Your aura's perking up! I'd say you're coming around!"

With that, she made for the girl's side of the hotel bedrooms.

 _It's a shame I have no bribery money…or else I'd give him some of what they're having out there…_

The butler came in not long after Dawn had left. He stared at Cameron, who was still frozen in shock.

"Mr. McLean told me to give _this_ (he motioned to a heavy knapsack) to you, but it seems like now isn't a very good time."

He plopped the knapsack onto the table. The table wobbled.

Task done, the butler calmly walked out.

Cameron's mind was whizzing with flashes of blue-green, interspersed with memories that weren't his own.

A bear was glaring at him, blood dripping from its mouth…a small bunny rabbit lay dead at its feet…

Two larger figures stared down in his general direction…he couldn't make out what they were saying…

He was looking down at his body, which was nothing but a mud-spattered mess with what remained of a dress…

Before long, the morning sun was glistening over the Wawnakwa waters, its vermillion hues illuminating the sky.

Chris yawned and stretched, before getting his signature airhorn/megaphone combo ready.

" _Oh, they're gonna_ _ **haaaaate**_ _me…_ " he said, a large grin spreading on his face.

The loud blast jolted Duncan and Ezekiel awake immediately. Dawn, however, was already awake, peering out at the sunshine.

"Ah, morning. We have so much to do and so little time to do it…"

Cameron didn't say a word.

* * *

 **Dawn** : Cleaning up the litter and plastic polluting Mother Earth is elation to me! And I'm sure she agrees with me, too. *she cups her ear towards the ground, only to be greeted with gurgling from the confessional toilet. She stops doing so and sighs, dejected.* Oh. _Right._

* * *

"Good morning, all of you! Hope you're hungry for some _pain!_ "

The two young men were out of the cabin before too long. The spa hotel, however, was still inhabited.

Chris groaned. "Come on, we're not getting any _younger_ here!"

"Easy for you to say, McLean!" Duncan said, chuckling a bit. He then stopped when he saw Ezekiel staring at him.

"Oh. Right."

* * *

 **Duncan** : With Zoey gone, what's left for me, huh? The million? Big whoop, that'll fare _so_ well when I'm thrown in prison again! Bite me! *he sighs, looking down at the grubby floor* …I miss my knife.

* * *

The spa hotel door opened. Dawn, who was sweating profusely, was pushing Cameron out the door.

"Wow, and I thought _Cameron_ was weak!" Chris said, cackling slightly. "Anywho, we'll wait for Chef, and then our challenge can commence!"

Duncan waved a hand in front of Cameron's still shocked face. "Uh, dude? Hello? _Earth to Cameron!_ "

Dawn wiped her forehead, which was glistening with sweat. "I nearly forgot to take the knapsack with him… _that_ was the worst of it."

Ezekiel finally noticed that Dawn had the knapsack attached to her back. It seemed heavy; it was taking all her strength to prevent herself from falling backwards.

"Wow, eh?" he said, striding towards her, ready to take it.

"Uh, uh, uh! _No sharing!_ " Chris said. "That reward is for the winner's team _only!_ "

Duncan quirked an eyebrow. "Hold up, McLean. You said we had to work together yesterday. What's the catch?"

Chris's grin widened further. "Your catch is _these!_ "

Chef chugged up in the Boney Island boat with Heather and Jo. The pair were just in time to see Chris holding up 3 pairs of handcuffs.

"Yup! I decided to bring back a little Tri-Armed Triathlon madness for you guys! You and your buddy, who I mentioned back in the mineshaft, will be shackled up with each other!

"So, I need Heather and Duncan to buddy up, along with Cameron and Dawn! Zeke and Jo, you'll round up our roster!"

Heather gave Jo a mournful look as she walked over to Duncan. Chef snapped the cuffs on the pair instantly.

"Ugh, Chris, can we drop the cuffs? This _bites!_ " Duncan said, as Chef bound the other pairs up.

"Nope! Now you'll have to face the worst test of all: _working togetherrrrrrr!_ " Chris said, wriggling his fingers in a poor imitation of a spooky specter.

Heather and Duncan rolled their eyes. Jo couldn't hide her smirk.

"Ooh, Chris Mc _Lame_ wants to spice up the challenge? Let's face it, Zeke, we're gonna rock this joint!"

* * *

 **Jo** : Teamwork's my forte! I mean, look at me last season! Brick was putty in my hands. Homeschool shouldn't be much harder.

* * *

"So yeah, you six'll have to navigate Chef Hatchet's deadly obstacle course! Or…shall I say…the _Obsta-Kill Course!_ You'll be dodging deadly tires, scale treacherous ropes, and dodge deadly leeches!"

Dawn looked rather worried. "Those leeches will be safe in the long run, right?"

"Nope! Lastly, you'll have to cross this _suck-tacular_ zipline! Oh, and you _can't_ use that knapsack until I say you can, and if you take it off before then, well…it's curtains for you!"

Duncan scoffed. "Easy, I can do obstacle courses in my sleep. What's so hard about _this_ one?"

"Glad you asked! Two teams will be moving on to the _final four!_ "

Everyone gasped, but Heather's gasp was soon replaced with a cold smirk.

"Well, looks like _someone's_ going to have to pull his weight around here."

* * *

 **Heather** : If I don't get into the final four, then what was the reason for me competing?! Yeah, Jo's nice and all, but a million dollars? That's even sweeter…

 **Ezekiel** : Two teams goin' thro'ough to the final four, eh? Well, step back, cause the Zeke's go'oin _all the way!_ Booyah!

* * *

"Now then, if all of you are ready…haha, psych! _GO!_ "

At the blast of the airhorn, the 6 competitors were off. Dawn, however, was straining to carry both Cameron and his knapsack.

"Please, snap out it!" she grunted. "I don't want to have to use my auras more than I have to…"

Cameron's head lolled on his shoulder, his tongue hanging out.

Dawn sighed. _Drastic times call for drastic measures…_

With that, the pair set off, a slight tinge of blue-green emanating from them.

* * *

 **Dawn** : I underestimated Cameron's naivete! Oh, out of _all_ the times for him to go comatose and for his auras to lock up, why _now?!_ *She sighs, and folds herself into a meditation pose.*

* * *

"Ow! _Ow!_ Hey, these are perfectly good wedges you're ruining here!"

Duncan didn't listen; he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Heather was trying to lower his defenses to lure him into one of her traps.

 _Nice try, sister, but those efforts of yours are all in vain! No distractions, no nothing! I—_

Duncan's train of thought was rudely interrupted. A kid-sized tire hid a pole within it; stepping on it caused it to spring up and smash his kiwis.

" _Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh…_ " he whimpered, clutching his hands over his groin. Heather, not one to miss an opportunity, forcibly yanked one of them as she took the lead.

"Sorry, buster! But _I've_ got an immunity to win!"

* * *

 **Heather** : Hook, line, and piercings! Duncan's a dud and I've got this in the bag! If we get immunity tonight, and it _is_ we, all I need is to get Jo over the finish. Perfect final four, and so long, Freak-zekiel! Barf!

* * *

"Hup, two, hup, two! Double time, soldier!"

"Yes, ma'am, eh?"

Jo and Ezekiel swiftly darted and danced over the tires, dodging any obstacles that cropped up.

"Not bad! Better than _some_ guy I know!"

"He was cool, eh? I wonder how he's do'oin'?"

Jo yelped slightly as a set of mousetraps were set off, especially since her foot was there a second ago. "Alright, less yakking, more…uh…"

"Yo'ou don't need to be funny _all_ the time, eh?"

"You _might_ not know this, especially since your girlfriend dumped you, but there's more to life than just what you learn in homeschool!"

Ezekiel glared at her, exhaling sharply from his nose. "I kno'ow more than that!"

"Huh! Sometimes, I wonder…"

* * *

 **Jo** : Time for a new game plan! Get under Zeke's skin, get an extra vote once Heather and I reach the final four! Buh-bye, Dud-can!

* * *

Dawn was half running, half bounding over the tires. Her aura was easier to access today, even with her extra loads.

She stopped. _Wait…it's_ never _been this simple before!_

She steadied herself, focusing on her breathing, her heartbeat, any muscle strains…all were normal.

She checked her auras. Steady and stable.

 _Wait…_

Dawn strengthened her scope slightly, so that Cameron's vitals and auras were detectable as well.

She gasped.

 _Oh, no…_

* * *

 **Dawn** : This wasn't what I wanted! I wanted to share some of my memories and auras with him during that kiss, but…to expose _everything?_ Every deep, dark, secret hidden within me? To burden him with my every responsibility?! *she gasps slightly, choking back tears.* I—I didn't mean for this…

* * *

Dawn stared at Cameron, paying special attention to his pupils. Blue-green light darted in them every few moments.

She gulped.

 _Now…how can I get this_ out _of him?_

A loud yell came from the trees behind her. She flinched slightly.

 _This aura…it feels…_

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! OW! My num-yos!_ "

… _disappointing._

Harold was clutching his proverbial, and literal, num-yos, having crashed hard into a tree branch crotch-first.

"Me Wonga-taa! King of jungle! _Owwwww…_ Samuel-san, roll for fortitude sa—"

He dropped from the branch, smacking his head rather hard.

"…on closer consideration, I seemed to have suffered a concussion!"

* * *

 **Sam** : Well, Chris called me back in order to stir up the mayhem and bring in some "gaming drama." *he air quotes the last words and taps his special helmet that B made for him.* Well, uh, heh, Harold heard the conversation and got interested! Seems like Chris was going to leave him out of this season entirely! Not sure why, I mean, heh, Harold's a cool guy!

 **Harold** : *his eyes are drifting in and out of focus.* Leshanwa, I have cow boobies on my head! Heheh…I said _udders!_

* * *

"In different circumstances, I would be concerned, but now is _not_ the time for concern! My boyfriend's in trouble!" Dawn said, gently tapping Cameron with her tendrils.

A hissing sound came from behind her. She didn't need to turn her head; she recognized it all too well.

"That wouldn't be the alien from ' _Hyper Force Warriors 10_ ', would it?" she sighed, as the sounds of sizzling emanated from behind, as well.

"Not quite," the voice from behind her said. "They just released ' _Hyper Force Warriors X: Now Starring the Cast of It's a Mamma-Mia, Meh-rio!_ ' The aliens now have acidic saliva; they need to in order to spit their sick beats!"

 _Oh, Sam, your gaming interests are_ quite _unique…_

"Well, if you don't mind, could you please aim for some more deserving targets, like, um…Heather and Jo?"

"Sorry, can't! Chris said to put _all_ contestants through trials and tribulations…"

"Then, um…could you spout some lyrical poetry? It could be considered a form of torture!"

The Sam-Alien scratched its head. "…Ssssssssuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeee…"

With a loud clearing of its throat, it began to rap.

" _SSSSSSSSAAAAAAAAY, HEY, HEY, YOU SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSIBILANT SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSPAAAAAAWN,_

 _KEEP SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSEARCHING, FOR I LEFT THE LIGHTSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS ONNNNNNN,_

 _SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSTUPID, SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSNOBBY, SSSSSSSSSSSSASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSY PESSSSSSSSSSSSSS—_ "

With every verse, every hiss, every stanza, a spray of acidic breath sprayed from its mouth, splattering the tires and immediately causing them to steam and melt. Dawn, ever vigilant, blocked the worst of the spittle with her tendrils, but even they withered to their might.

"I don't mean to be rude!" she piped up, "but this really _isn't_ rap! It's more…operatic!"

The alien stopped, hands clutched around its head.

"I… _I KNEW IT! NO WONDER EPIC GAMER REVIEWS GAVE THIS A 2 OUT OF 10!_ "

"Hahahahaha, epic gamer! Time to rise up! Time to overthrow the shackles of opp—"

" _Harold?!_ "

Heather, dragging a still-dazed Duncan, walked up to him and Sam.

"Wait… _why_ are you here? You were easily _the_ lamest character in the first season!"

"Hahaha, look! Boonies!" Harold clapped Lizard-Sam hard on the back, causing him to lurch forward and expel some saliva onto the ground in front of Heather. She shrieked; the acid bore a hole through her shoes.

" _MY WEDGES!_ " she screamed, darting away from Sam. "You're _dead,_ you hear me? _DEA—_ "

A bucket of sand flipped up as she stood on the first tire that wasn't melted, slamming itself hard over her head. Muffled coughs and splutters were heard as a cascade of sand trickled out of the sides.

Sam transformed back to his normal self. "Well, guess that's our job done on this leg!" he said, chuckling and grabbing Harold by the wrist.

"Onward, noble steed!"

Harold was starting to regain some of his sanity. "Were…were some of my future children murdered?"

"Harold…we'll talk about that later…" Sam said, as the pair disappeared into the trees.

Duncan shook his head, slapping his cheeks to regain focus. "Huh…was that… _Harold?!_ "

* * *

 **Duncan** : I know what I heard! You'd _never_ mistake that high-pitched dweeb sound for anything else! Ah- _hem!_ 'Oh, Ben, your disability is _so_ insp—' …wait, Zoey's probably watching this. Yeah, that was a little _too_ mean…

* * *

Jo and Ezekiel quickly scrabbled up the ropes, with Jo taking a frayed electrical wire and Ezekiel taking one composed entirely out of licorice.

"Alright, soldier, let's head onward for ho—wait…" Jo cocked an ear, hearing a set of shrieks and yelps.

"Change of plans! We're heading back down and freeing _my girlfriend_ from her _endless pain and torment!_ "

If Ezekiel was meant to wince at these words, he didn't show it. "Nuh-uh, eh? We're go'oin' _this…nnnngh…waaaaayyyyyy…_ "

The chain taughtened between the pair as both attempted to set off in opposite directions.

" _Yoooou…sexist…spaaaaaz….we're goo-uuuunnngh…this way!"_ Jo said, her cuff digging deep into her wrist.

" _Nooooo…waaaaaay…eeeeeeh…aaaannnnngh…immunity…is….ooooooooours!"_ Ezekiel grunted, fighting a steadily-losing battle.

Jo kicked Ezekiel's shin, causing him to topple over. "Ha!" she shouted in triumph, dragging Ezekiel along towards Heather and Duncan.

Jo took great care to step over the tires, while at the same time, making sure her "partner" set off any traps. By the time she reached up with Heather and Duncan, Ezekiel was a mess of welts and bruises, both from a swarm of angry bees, as well as several mousetraps that Jo hadn't set off earlier.

"Hold on, babe, I'll save you!" she said, while overdramatically yanking off Heather's sandy bucket.

Duncan stared at her, incredulously. "Okay, _seriously?_ Instead of going on and heading to the third leg, you _double back?!_ Are you _trying_ to get eliminated?"

"Are you?" Heather and Jo replied in unison.

"Well, _someone_ was wailing over her burnt shoes!" Duncan yelled, motioning to Heather's now-bare feet, "and you're one to talk! Zeke's not going to last too much longer at this rate!"

Ezekiel moaned. "Santa, I need a new face for Christmas, eh…"

* * *

 **Jo** : Easy as 1-2-3! New meat shield, _and_ a peon to fulfill my every whim!

* * *

"Now that _that's_ settled," Heather said, glaring at Duncan, "where are bubble breath and Miss Shrieks-a-Lot?"

"Oh, I'd say they've left…about 5 minutes ago." A broad smirk was spreading across Duncan's face.

Heather and Jo's faces both paled. The former struggled to form words.

"W—wa—wai— _wait a minute!_ " Heather snapped. "So, you _didn't_ save me, you _didn't_ alert me that the _enemy_ was LEAVING? _HOW DARE YOU?!_ "

"Hold on!" Jo added. "If they left five minutes ago, then I _must_ have seen them as I doubled back! _Where are they?_ "

Duncan casually whistled. "Would you believe me if I told you that Dawn could fly?"

* * *

Dawn was floating to the best of her abilities. Given that she was carrying roughly 90 pounds of boyfriend and knapsack, this wasn't the easiest task. However, she had cleared the tires and touched down on top of the ropes.

"Hey, _hey!_ " Chris and Chef rolled up in their signature ATV. "You're supposed to be clearing _all_ obstacles, missy!"

"My deepest apologies, Chris, but my partner's, well, um…unconscious."

Chris sighed as Dawn gave him a sheepish grin. "Yeah, well, that's _not_ my problem, it's yours! Your punishment will be waiting for you at the last leg of the challenge! Now, get moving!"

As the pair roared off, Dawn sighed.

 _I only meant to share with him_ some _of my past, not_ all _of it! Ohh, I feel wonderful, but at what cost?_

She debated getting back into her meditation position once more, but a sloppy, wet sound near her broke her out of her trance.

A leech landed right next to her right foot. Dawn gulped.

"N-nice leeches…I'm sure you didn't magically gain the ability of self-propulsion all on your own…that-that's not what nature intended…

* * *

 **Dawn** : Having a host of leeches suck your blood until you're nearly with Mother Nature…it changes how you perceive them! *she shudders slightly.*

* * *

Dawn, on tiptoe, slowly advanced. There were a plethora of rocks and rubble strewn around the area. Several leeches, most likely shot from a powerful gun, were arranged in a nearly uniform line, which ended at the one that had landed near her feet.

"Um, Chris? You _think_ there'd be some monkey bars we could scale or something?" Dawn's voice trembled slightly as she advanced slowly.

"Ha! Do you _think_ we're that juvenile?" A row of loudspeakers lining the trees nearby crackled on. Chris, apparently, had advanced to his usual announcer's booth.

Dawn frowned at the voice. "I expected you, especially from your auras, to indulge in such an activity…"

"Well, duh! We _had_ plans for a 'snapping bars', complete with vicious, hungry turtles, but A. our budget wouldn't allow it, B. even if budget _did_ allow it, _someone_ would've complained, and C. well, leeches are _way_ more fun! Also, we had a whole load of 'em leftover from the leechball challenge!"

Dawn sighed. _Guess I can't argue with that…_

She tiptoed quietly on. Her tendrils were sensing the air for any changes, or leeches for that matter.

 _Phht! Phht! Phht! Phht!_

Dawn gulped. A fresh salvo of leeches was beelining straight towards her. She darted, ducked, and blocked them with her tendrils, causing them to hit the ground with a soft _thwuck._

 _As long as Cameron's not hurt, this is doable!_

She sped up slightly, darting behind a rock for cover. Several leeches splattered against the front side of it, before dribbling down and hitting the earth.

 _This could be my opportunity to snap Cameron out of this trance!_

She stared at Cameron, her eyes flashing green occasionally.

 _Come on…_

* * *

The other four, in the meantime, were at the ropes.

"Alright, _loser,_ we're going up _here!_ " Heather snapped, grabbing onto a rope that was quite fuzzy and pointing Duncan to the frayed wire.

"Guess that leaves me with, uh…" Jo scratched her head. The only two ropes left were the licorice rope and one that looked ready to unravel at any moment.

 _I'll take my chanc—_

Jo's thoughts were interrupted. A loud slurping sound came from above, and the licorice rope grew shorter and shorter.

"Wait a minute… _I_ know that scarfing sound from anywhere… _Sam!_ "

Sam, who indeed, was up top, was slurping up the licorice rope like a long strand of spaghetti. He shot a thumbs-up to a nearby tree.

" _BANZAI, STEVEN-SAMA!_ "

With a deft flick of the wrist, Harold hurled two shuriken towards Heather and Duncan. Heather shrieked as the first shuriken embedded itself right next to her thigh, causing the shuriken to bore straight through the fuzzy rope.

Jo's heart sank as she saw the rope slice itself and fall to the ground. She smelled dog hair, and her despair turned to disgust.

The second shuriken, however, sank itself through Duncan's hand and dug into part of the frayed electrical wire below.

Duncan yelled as several strong electric shocks coursed through his body. Heather, being attached to him by a rather metallic cuff, received much of the same.

Jo whistled as she saw the sight unfold. "Well, I'm staying _way_ away from that! Later, losers!"

" _I…AM…NOT…A…LOSER-OW!_ " Heather yelled, as Jo, dragging Ezekiel behind her, started up the weak rope.

Duncan finally wrenched his hand away from the smoking wire, leaving a series of electrical sparks coming from it. He yanked the shuriken out from the back of his hand, then clutched the wound as blood flowed freely.

" _Aaaaagh…DANG IT, HAROLD!_ " he yelled, glaring up at the tree.

Harold had disappeared, but if he were there, he would've given him a sly smirk and vanished.

* * *

Harold and Sam had rejoined, looking at Dawn and Cameron up ahead.

"Uh, bro, I thought you were _afraid_ of ninjas?" Sam said, glancing at Harold, who was pocketing some more shuriken.

"Ah, you underestimate me, Samuel-San! In order to face the fear, you must _be_ the fear! Hiii- _ya!_ "

Harold kicked Sam, hard, in the gut. The latter fell to the ground, moaning in pain.

"Ow! A little _less_ gusto, there, dude!"

* * *

 **Harold** : If Chris thinks that _I_ , Harold Norbert Cheever Doris McGrady V, am not adequate enough for a show like this, I'll show him! I'll show them all! I didn't graduate second-best from Nuclear Steve's Preparedness Camp for nothing! Not even that first-placer can match _my_ skills! You hear me, Shawn! _Nobody!_ *he leans into the camera, breathing heavily through his nose. Unfortunately for him, several flecks of boogers fly into the camera.*

* * *

Jo yelped as the rope, predictably, unraveled and gave way. She clutched to the wood grain behind the rope (that normally served as a brace while climbing) by only her fingernails.

"C'mon, strength, don't fail me now!"

" _I'm coming for you, Dorkahontas!_ "

Heather screamed again as Duncan dragged her up to the top of the ropes. She looked back, and her pupils shrank to the size of pins.

" _Jo!_ "

"Ignore her, let's _go!_ "

With a hard jerk, the pair had moved on to the leech portion, leaving Jo and Ezekiel all alone now.

"Heather? Oh, _great,_ great job, Duncan! _I'm on to you!_ "

Her nails dug in deeper into the wood, with some slivers digging themselves into her fingertips.

 _It's Jo time._

* * *

 **Jo** : Serious or not, you've _always_ gotta have a sense of humor! Helps mask the pain! *she grips a splinter in one of her fingertips and pulls, but quickly stops, whipping her finger in the air to ease the stinging.* OW!

* * *

With a concerted effort, Jo slowly climbed. Her wrist was on fire; supporting Ezekiel by a rapidly weakening metal chain was extremely difficult.

With one last groan of effort, Jo scrabbled to the top. She gasped and panted, a thickening layer of sweat trickling down her face.

"Underestimated…own… _hubris!_ " she gasped, before grasping Ezekiel's neck with her feet and dragging him up, too.

She groaned as she got to her knees, wincing as she put pressure on her sliver-coated fingertips.

 _Yeah, if we get_ second _place, this is a miracle…_

* * *

Duncan led the pair, darting and ducking past the onslaught of leeches. Heather, however, was getting the full brunt of most of it.

"Okay- _ow!_ -you're really getting- _ow!_ -on my last nerve— _ughhhhh!_ "

The third leech to hit her missed her face, only to land in her hair, coating it with a veneer of unidentifiable gunk.

"Can we go _back,_ please? My girlfriend's in trouble!"

"Yeah, tough beans! _Your_ girlfriend…and you… _got rid of mine!_ " Duncan ran past Chef, who saluted them before readying his gun again.

 _Come out, come out, li'l pixie…_

* * *

Dawn was still trying to revive Cameron, to little avail. Several leeches were wriggling madly on the ground in front of the rock they still hid behind.

"Time is running out, Dawn! Duncan and Heather are headed straight for that zipliiiiine! And Jo's heading through the leeches, aaaaand…"

Jo ran past, using Ezekiel as a meat shield for the leeches firing in her direction.

"Ah, love! It leads to _many_ a wonderful elimination!" Chris said, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.

Dawn's green eye flashes ceased. _I can't get eliminated now! Not while he's like this!_

* * *

 **Dawn** : If Cameron's mother sees her son acting as strange as he is now, a restraining order is the _least_ of my worries!

* * *

With a concerted effort, Dawn started off again.

 _I_ _ **must**_ _do this! For Cameron!_

Meanwhile, Duncan, who was still half-pulling, half-dragging Heather along, arrived at the edge of a large cliff. A long zipline spanned a watery gorge, with the finish line waiting on the other side.

Chris had gotten out of the announcer's booth and was also waiting. "Hello, firsties! You're going to have to wait for Team Cheater to arrive…because we'll be doing a little redistributing!"

Duncan's eyes narrowed. " _Excuse me, McLean?_ I have a geek that needs squashing!"

" _You_ gotta learn a little _patience,_ mister! Ah, Jo and the stowaway! Hop on up and get crossin'!"

Jo had arrived, looking a little winded. "Alright, ziplining! Wait, did you say 'hop on up?'"

"Yup! No gear for you! That's for _these_ two over here…(he pointed a thumb at Heather and Duncan) because _someone_ …(he pointed at Dawn, who was panting and gasping) decided to _cheat!_ "

" _Ha!_ " Jo said, before spitting on her hands, rubbing them together, and grabbing hold. "See you at the finish line, babe!"

"Later, babe!" Heather said, smirking cruelly at Duncan.

"Don't remind me…" he grumbled under his breath.

* * *

 **Duncan** : So, Heather and Jo's plan is to get under my skin and boot me at the final four. Ugh, whatever. Next challenge's elimination's going to change depending on who's immune anyways…and…*he stops talking and puts his chin in his hands, deep in thought.* I _might_ have a person who deserves it more than me…

* * *

Jo was sweating again; the zipline rocked precariously as she advanced.

Unfortunately for her, her journey was about to be cut short…

A large, energy-infused hand caught her in the small of the back, sending her skyward. A second large hand slammed her down onto the pair of zipline ropes, causing it to bounce dangerously and for her to squeeze her eyes shut.

" _I know it's you, Norbert-Sam-Game Guy! No need to hide yourself!"_

Sam had no need to hide. His size was so gargantuan that he threatened to crumble the nearby cliffs if he got too close. He didn't speak, for he had no need to.

He, instead, pointed a finger at Jo and shot out a small spurt of energy.

The spurt, however, was the size of a rather large arrow.

Jo was knocked off the ropes, but not before she clung on to one of them with her hand. The hand, however, was growing red and raw.

Norbert-Sam shot out another small spurt of energy.

* * *

"Ah, here they are now!" Chris said, as Dawn and Cameron arrived at the ziplining site.

"Now then, Dawn! Could you give Heather and Duncan that knapsack, _please?_ "

Dawn, who was too weary to speak, obliged. The pack slammed hard to the ground with a _thud._

"Heather. Duncan. This pack is now yours! As for Dawn and Cam, you guys gotta cross _manually…_ like Jo is—oh, there she goes!"

Chris was right; Jo landed in the water with a loud _ker-splash!_

Duncan rapidly opened the knapsack and pulled out two sets of ziplining gear, which included a harness, helmet, and buckle to attach to the rope.

"Get this on, and get moving," he said, glaring at Heather. He rapidly donned his gear, buckled himself to the rope, and glared at his partner.

Dawn, however, was still gasping and panting. "Uh, can…I… _cross…_ please?"

Chris shrugged. "I mean…if you _want_ to?"

Dawn grunted and got on the zipline ropes.

"Oh, and Dawn? If you use any kind of freaky aura powers, it's a 10-minute penalty at the end! Deal?"

"D-Deal… _Chris…_ " she gasped, as she slowly moved across with her hands.

* * *

 **Dawn** : It was either manual labor, which Mother Nature appreciates…or use my auras in order to save the one my heart yearns for most…*she looks down and sighs.*

* * *

Heather had finally put on her gear. "Let's do this!"

Duncan wasted no time. He fastened the pair of them to the same line. "Dawn, you're _gonna_ need to hang on to that other rope!" he called out.

Dawn did so, albeit with massive difficulty; it was tough enough supporting herself, but with the extra weight, it made the task nearly impossible.

"Ready… _go!_ " Duncan shouted, and he and Heather were off like a speeding bullet.

Norbert-Sam noticed them. He shot a spurt of energy that grazed Heather's back in its upward trajectory towards the sky.

The rope, however, was cleaved neatly in two.

Heather and Duncan screamed as their journey was prematurely halted. Down they went, going…going…

"Heather, _hang on to something!_ " Duncan growled as he clamped onto the opposite cliff wall, having used the rope as a makeshift, Tarzan-esque vine.

Heather grunted as she slammed into the cliff-wall, too. "Really, Duncan? Just…just hurry up!"

Duncan was off. Clambering and crawling up the rocky bluffs, he snarled as the top drew nearer and nearer.

 _If Harold's over there, he's as good as_ dead.

Dawn gasped as she, too, started falling towards the water below. Norbert-Sam wasn't helping; he kept firing off shots at random now.

Dawn stared at the finish line, which was growing higher and higher. Her eyes narrowed.

 _If there was a time to act, it would be…_ _ **now!**_

With a powerful _whoosh_ , wings and tendrils sprouted, She growled slightly.

 _Cameron, cheating might not be in your code of honor…but I_ will not _let you get eliminated in such a disgraceful fashion!_

A slight blue-green outline appeared around Cameron's body. What little aura was in him slowly seeped out to join the ever-growing wings and tendrils.

With a snort and a grunt, Cameron snapped back into focus.

"Wait, I, wh— _huh?!_ "

Cameron, out of instinct, clamped hard onto Dawn's shoulders. The latter barely noticed that the former's nails were digging through her sweater.

 _Let's go!_

"Dawn, I— _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…_ "

Cameron's screaming faded into the wind as Dawn, like an arrow, shot straight towards the finish line.

Chris whistled in amazement as she hurtled through the banner, before touching down. In her case, it was more like slamming hard into the ground, belly-first. Even her slowing down wasn't graceful; she was sliding through the dirt for several seconds before grinding to a halt.

For a moment, all was quiet. But, then—

" _CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT'S GOING ON?!_ "

* * *

 **Cameron** : *he's inhaling and exhaling into a paper bag, rapidly* So, Dawn kisses me, several _weird_ memories of hers travel through my mind…and then I come to, and I'm hurtling towards a finish line at breakneck speeds?! What _is_ this?!

* * *

"Dawn! You _technically_ crossed first, but since you used your _aura powers_ , you get a 10-minute penalty! Time starts…now!"

Chris watched his stopwatch eagerly. Cameron groaned as he got to his feet.

"Dawn? After elimination tonight, we need to have a _long_ talk."

Dawn, who wearily stood up, gently nodded her head. She couldn't speak; she was so exhausted.

With several loud grunts and angry mutterings, Duncan clambered over the lip of the cliff. He and Heather bolted through the finish line and crossed, with the former staring around furiously and the latter pumping her fist triumphantly.

"Heather! Duncan!" Chris said, looking quite amused. "You two are the big immunity winners tonight! The spa hotel is yours!"

"Can I bring Jo, too?" Heather asked, bouncing on the balls of her bare feet.

"Nope! That's reserved for only _you_ guys! Hahahahaha!" Chris laughed briefly, then grinned devilishly at her.

The smile was wiped nearly immediately off Heather's face.

"Wh… _NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_ "

* * *

 **Heather** : For _real?!_ Chris says _I_ have to share the hotel with _Duncan?_ _ **Disgusting!**_ He smells like… _street!_

* * *

"Whelp, looks like Zeke and Jo have 9 minutes to clamber up here and join Heather and Duncan!" Chris said, looking down into the water.

"Unless they're drowning! Which…well, I'll notify _someone's_ next of kin!"

Jo, indeed, was having severe difficulty getting to the water's surface. The extra weight wasn't helping matters.

 _Yeah…_ definitely _got myself eliminated through my own hubris…_

With a great effort, Jo slowly swam to the surface. The spurts of energy coming from Norbert-Sam splashed around her as she breached the water.

" _Okay…gaaaaaaasp…okay, yeah that's…_ that's _way_ better!" she said, before helping Ezekiel up and allowing him to breathe.

"Ya know, I _think_ you'd have some people at home who'd be a _little_ touchy if I let you die, string bean."

"…7 more minutes! Tick tock!" Chris's voice echoed over the water, amplified by his megaphone.

"Wait, _what?_ Where's everyone else?" Jo asked, pushing in Ezekiel's stomach to help him expel some water.

"Up here! Buuuuuuut, Dawn did a little freaky magic, so she's got a 10-minute penalty! You have 6 minutes and 30 seconds to make it up here and earn a spot in the final four!"

Ezekiel burst out some water and coughed himself back to consciousness. "Whoa, eh? What happened?"

"Long story, kid! But for now, we gotta get swimming!" Jo said, aiding him in a breaststroke.

* * *

 **Jo** : I might be a lot of things, but I am _not_ a quitter!

* * *

"Five minutes left!" Chris said, as the two reached the cliff.

Norbert-Sam stared at the pair of them, then ambled off, presumably to transform back.

"Yeah, that was in his contract! No damage to the island's _natural_ structures while he's in that form! Most of you remember that crazy sword blast from the finale, right?"

Cameron nodded, gulping.

* * *

 **Cameron** : That finale ranks second in "most stressful experiences of my life." First was convincing my mom to have my Frankie brand French fries without _extra_ salt. *he sighs* Mom was _stringent_ about my sodium intake.

* * *

"Four minutes, thirty seconds!" Chris said, as Jo and Ezekiel slowly started to climb.

Jo was gasping for breath, as was Ezekiel. "Yeah, treating you like expendable cargo? _Not_ the brightest idea!" Jo said, as she winced upon applying pressure to her splintered fingertips.

"Weird, eh? We co'oulda made a nice team, ya'know?" Ezekiel replied, coughing slightly. "Turns oot I got stung by bees again, eh?"

Jo smirked. "Yeah, but hey, you looked _quite_ a bit better on national T.V.! Wonder what Gwen'll think…"

"Good question, eh? Where do the eliminated contestants go?"

"Beats me! Haven't heard back from any of 'em! Even Sierra!"

" _Three minutes!_ "

Jo jumped slightly, then looked at Ezekiel.

"Finish together?"

Ezekiel thought about it for a minute.

"But…Duncan and Heather won, eh? Tha…"

His voice trailed off. Jo glared at him.

"I'm not standing around just to be talked into oblivion! _I'm coming, babe!_ "

At the last word, something seemed to snap in Ezekiel.

"Babe? _Babe?!_ After yo'ou insulted _my_ ex fo'or nearly the whole challenge?! Not a chance, eh!"

With a satisfied smirk, he let go of the cliff face.

Jo wailed as she quickly lost her grip; her fingertips were too battered to support the weight on their own any longer.

"Nononono… _nonononono…_ _ **NONONONONONO—**_ "

With a loud _splash_ , the pair hit the water again, hard. Chris whistled.

"Whelp, at two minutes, it's pretty much impossible for them to make it up here! So, Dawn, Cameron, welcome to the final four!"

Dawn, although weakly, cheered. Cameron just stared in confusion.

"…this has been a perplexing day."

* * *

 **Cameron** : Honestly, I'm glad we won! Although, with Dawn doing what she did…the old me would've suffered a heart attack! New me…well, you saw.

 **Dawn** : Cameron and I need to have a deep discussion about everything that's transpired today, there's no question about that. I only hope that…*she exhales slowly*…I hope that he doesn't think less of me for this…

* * *

Ezekiel and Jo stood next to the Flush of Shame. Harold and Sam were holding two marshmallows each.

Duncan was glaring at Harold like he had at Mal several days prior. "You're _dead,_ Doris!"

"My death would bring great dishonor upon the McGrady family line, and it would all but confirm that the line ends with—"

" _Enough!_ " Chris shouted, shocking the two into a heated silence. "So, since the toilet can't accommodate two at once…pick a side!"

He pulled out a regular-looking coin and readied it in his fingers.

Jo sighed. "I'll take…you know what, I'll take tails!"

"Sure thing!" Chris said, flipping the coin. Whirling, twirling, soaring in the air…it landed on tails.

"Whelp, looks like Zeke's getting 6th place!" Chris said, grinning. "You know what to do, eh? Get in! Jo, looks like you're 5th!"

"It's been fun, eh? Hey, Duncan? Cameron? …Dawn? Win for Gwen, eh?"

Dawn cocked an eyebrow at him. "But, our troubled interactions led to a distressing break-up in your case!"

"That was Mal, eh? I'm sure Gwen's seen the footage and, well…we'll talk it _oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooottttt…_ "

Chris sighed happily as he lowered the flushing device. "I'll give it a few seconds…and, time! Jo, you're up next!"

Jo sighed as she stepped into the porcelain bowl. "Well…it's been quite a ride!"

"In more ways than one," Heather replied, winking and smirking at her.

"And you've got one more to go!" Chris chuckled, before pressing the flush button once more.

"Ha! _Goood oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnee…_ " Jo's voice soon vanished, and silence fell once more.

"Ah, this show just became 33% less aggravating! Now, Harold, Sam, I leave it to you to do the honors!"

Harold tossed his two marshmallows to Cameron and Dawn, while Sam tossed his own to Duncan and Heather.

"Eat 'em in good health!" Sam said, chuckling. Harold, however, was still silently sulking.

"And on _another_ note," Chris continued, "who's ready for a volunteer night on Boney Island!"

No one replied. That is, until…

"Me."

"Dang, Duncan's giving up his luxurious spa night for a traipse around the island with several hungry wild animals! Rough!"

"Well, as long as it gets _me_ away from _her_ (he motioned to Heather). Also…I need some time alone."

"Well, I'm sure Chef'll see to that!" Chris said, as Duncan stepped into the Boney Island boat.

As it sped off, and as the other 3 competitors went back to the cabins, Chris turned to the cameras.

"On that note of double trouble, we're down to the final four! Which one of these will become the fantastic three? Will Cameron and Dawn _ever_ kiss and make up…or actually kiss? Find out the answers to these questions, and many more you never asked! Next time on Total…Drama…Heroes vs. Villains!"

* * *

(AN: That's it. We're done with this chapter. 3 more to go, and the season is finished.

Firstly, I am incredibly sorry for making so many of you wait. I hope the chapter was of sufficient quality to make up for the lapse in content. I will attempt to follow suit with the others.

Secondly, we're finally at the final four! Was this what you had expected? Some of you expressed that any one of the remaining six could have won the season, so now the pool's been cut by a third. This will be interesting.

Lastly…I'm almost done with graduate school. That, understandably, takes priority. Add in the fact that I'll be searching for full-time work afterwards, and I can't promise the other chapters will come out more quickly than this. Thank you for understanding.)

Remaining contestants: Cameron, Dawn, Duncan, Heather

14th: Anne Maria

13th: Cody (quit)

12th: Brick

11th: Eva

10th: Justin

-merge-

9th: Gwen

8th: Mike/Mal (quit)

7th: Zoey (injury)

6th: Ezekiel (double elimination)

5th: Jo (double elimination)

Next up: More Than One Way to Get a Head

(That's right. The sundaes are _not_ happening.)


	12. 11: More Than One Way to Get a Head

(AN: We're at the home stretch of Season 3! Thank you very much for your dedication and patience. I hope this chapter will be of quality, especially since I'm starting it from scratch. You all know why.)

* * *

 **Chris** : Last time on Total Drama: Heroes vs. Villains, the final 6 contestants had to navigate through the treacherous Obsta-Kill course! Sam and Harold impeded, while Duncan had a little shock to the noggin! (the camera cuts to Duncan getting electrocuted via Harold's shuriken) Jo decided to make Ezekiel her meat shield, while Dawn and Cameron had a little too _muchas smooches_ and nearly lost the whole shebang! In the end, Ezekiel forfeited his chances at victory in order to send Jo packing! We're down to the final 4! Things are about to get pretty _head-_ y here on Camp Wawanakwa! It'll be _neck and neck_ in this race to reach the final 3! Who'll be _brain-y_ enough to take the petal to the medulla? Who'll sink like a hippocampus? Find out on today's thrilling episode of Total…Drama…Heroes vs. Villains!

*cue the theme song*

Episode 11: More Than One Way to Get a Head

* * *

The night was quiet, and the islands waters gently lapped the shoreline. It was rather late at night.

The loser cabins, however, still were brightly lit.

"…so…you're saying…your parents abandoned you and you were forced to fend for your life with wild animals?" Cameron asked Dawn, who was sitting across from him on the other bottom bunk bed.

She nodded. "It was a unique experience that one would rarely, if ever, forget."

"I'll say." Cameron stared at her, a look of confusion etched on his face.

"…I think I see what you see in me."

Dawn's expression changed to match his. "I'm sorry?"

Cameron stared at her, his resolve hardening slightly. "I…well, I mean, I understand what you like about me. Uh, I mean…"

He gulped.

"This is the first time you've had someone who can understand isolation like you have, isn't it?"

Dawn blinked at him, slowly. "Well…yes. But—"

"No, I'm not trying to say that's a bad thing! It's just…well…me and Mike, I mean…"

Dawn stared at Cameron, who was looking away sheepishly.

"I'm sorry?"

"You like people who've been lonely or ostracized, or people that, well, don't reach out to others much…"

Dawn relaxed slightly; her shoulders had tensed up and her back was stiff.

 _Don't tell me he can see into my auras, too…_

"Cameron, um, you're _technically_ correct, but—"

" _Yes!_ Score one for Wilkins!"

Dawn's stare was more piercing than usual; her eyes gazed deep into Cameron's for a brief period.

"I'm sorry?"

"Well, I figured I'd start using intuition in tandem with my book smarts! Spending nearly all of a season here's tapped into some potential I never thought I had before!"

"Well, there _was_ the row with your mother, your auras clashing with each other, and you having to deal with me, but I don—"

Dawn stopped. Cameron's excitement had turned into something else. Something…mournful?

"What is it?"

"Dawn. Not once throughout this season, _once,_ did I think you were a burden. Sure, Gwen might've convinced me to vote against my better interests, but I did that reluctantly!"

"Well, that's _nice_ , Cameron, but I didn't need to know that sort of informa—"

"No, no, let me finish! Honestly, throughout this season, it's just—well, it's been—a real ride!"

Dawn had to stifle a small giggle. _If only he knew…_

"But, Dawn, I need to be serious here. I'm…I'm not ready to pursue a serious relationship with you… _yet._ "

Dawn stared at him, slightly more puzzled than before. "Cameron…was it something I did?"

"No, Dawn, nothing like that! It's just…with the show being what it is and everything we've both been through, it might be a good idea to wait until after the show's done, you know?"

A semblance of a frown flitted across Dawn's face. "But…"

"Dawn, it's not that I care about you. I do, a lot…but there's Heather to worry about, and Duncan's out there doing his own thing…we're down to four people, and one of us could be easy pickings!"

Dawn slowly nodded. "You're right. Neither of us are physically gifted, and, well…"

A small flare of aura flowed from her, forming itself into a moderately-sized tendril.

"There's this."

Cameron stared at it. "Yeah…"

"Cameron, with this, I've been able to easily, _easily_ , breeze through most challenges thrown at me. You realize that this gives me the biggest target of all, correct?"

Cameron's mind flashed with memories. They were only days old, but to him, it seemed like an eternity.

Dawn's berserk rage during the blue harvest moon…

…her green eyes, staring blankly into Ezekiel's during the digging challenge…

…the hazy flashes that erupted when she kissed him the night before…

He then thought back to the several eliminations they had been through together.

 _Wow, we really_ were _in the bottom two a lot…_

He sighed and placed a hand on Dawn's knee.

"I understand and I will help you as best as I can."

Dawn placed her hand on top of his and smiled.

"Thank you."

* * *

 **Cameron** : Boyfriend or not, Dawn's still important. But first…my plan is to get all the way to the end! Are you watching, mom? Cammy Bear _can_ do this!

 **Dawn** : Once again, Cameron's aura has become _so_ resolute! Now…what's next?

* * *

 _PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHT._

Chris sighed happily as he applied a copious amount of whipped cream to his sundae, complete with nuts and a maraschino cherry.

"Aah, dessert. Tastes _so_ wild!"

He took a hasty bite of sundae, shivering slightly as the cold taste went to his head almost immediately.

"Hey, Chef! You think we should have the campers make a sundae for a challenge?"

"C'mon, Chris! What are we, seven years old?"

Chris had to stifle a laugh. "Yeah, you're right, what _was_ I thinking?"

"You weren't! That's why it's a bad idea!"

"Fine! What _other_ exciting challenge do you have planned for us?"

"It wasn't my idea, it was _yours!_ "

"Oh yeeaaaaah! I _did_ come up with that, didn't I? Where are the helpers?"

"They're cuttin' off heads!"

"Perfect!"

From the next room, a loud sound of buzzing erupted, complete with some rather unmanly screaming.

Chris cocked his head. "Was that…?"

"You'll see!"

* * *

 **Heather** : So, final four? Perfect! Final four without Jo? *her face changes from a confident smirk to something more morose* …painful. *she exhales sharply, the look of confidence etched on her face once more* I'll keep your dream alive, Jo. I'll make it to the end, even if it kills me!

* * *

"…lost my girlfriend, lost my knife, and I'm close to being on my own here! What can I do?"

A loud growl was his answer.

"Yeah, you're right. Million's right there, I'm in the final four…what do I have to lose?"

Another growl.

"Really? I mean, Cameron and Dawn are, well, cool and all, but uh…"

A third growl.

"…she nearly killed your friend though, didn't she? Shouldn't you be holding some kinda grudge?"

A softer growl came this time, complete with a sound of lips being licked.

"Yeah, you're right. They're not _bad_ people, they're…well…"

Duncan's voice trailed off. He stared at his psycho-bear-apist dead in the eye.

"Listen. I'll have to think about this for a bit. Do you mind?"

The bear shrugged his shoulders. Duncan breathed a sigh of relief, stood, and walked off.

* * *

 **Duncan** : So, final four, huh? Didn't think I'd get here! What with Mal, Zoey, emotions, and loss, well, thought I'd be done for by early merge. But hey, here I am, still kicking! Take that, juvie!

* * *

It was yet another gorgeous morning at Camp Wawanakwa. Heather gazed out as she ate some sausage, scrambled eggs, and bacon.

 _I_ normally _shouldn't eat this, but as we all know, Jo_ loves _her protein…_

She sighed and put her fork down. The food, while as gourmet as ever, didn't have that special taste to it anymore.

 _I miss her._

She got up, walked down the spa hotel stairs, and exited.

The air was breezy and mild, and it tickled her face and hair as it swept along. She took in a deep breath.

 _Time to take care of some suckers…_

Dawn and Cameron, in the meantime, were having their breakfast.

"Eleven days in and _still_ this slop?" Cameron groaned, picking at some unidentifiable sludge tenderly with his fork.

Dawn shrugged and finished her bowl. "I cannot identify what it is, but I cannot go without proper nourishment or sleep again."

Cameron stared at her. His food slipped off his fork, which was close to his open mouth.

"Even if it's got animal bits in it?"

Dawn sighed. "I know it goes against…well, everything I've been taught up to this point, but, well…"

Cameron sighed. "I think it's _you_ that needs some closure now."

"I… _I_ do _**not!**_ "

Cameron stared at Dawn. "You…normally don't sound like that."

He was right. Dawn normally didn't look this affronted, as well.

Cameron gave her a small smirk.

 _Score two for Wilkins!_

* * *

 **Cameron** : You know, Dawn's been so insistent on helping others that she hasn't noticed her own problems…classic aspect of irony! Honestly, I wonder what _her_ auras look like.

* * *

" _Morning, final four! Meet me at the front of the mess hall for today's head-y challenge!_ "

Heather scoffed at the loudspeakers. "We're _still_ missing one!"

No reply. Heather rolled her eyes and folded her arms.

 _Fine, Chris. Fine. See if I care!_

* * *

 **Heather** : Now, we look out for numero uno. And, obviously, _that_ is yours truly! Ha!

* * *

With a high-pitched _honk,_ a boat arrived at the dock. Duncan was on it, looking no different than he was before.

"'Sup, dollface?" he asked Heather, who glared at him.

" _Don't_ call me that."

"Sure, fine, fine, whatever."

Heather glared at Duncan, then at the other two exiting the mess hall.

"Oh, look, two _targets._ "

Duncan raised an eyebrow and frowned at her. "Alright, what's gotten into _you_? You won immunity, you had the spa hotel to yourself, what's not to like?"

"What's not to _like_ is that _some_ homeschooled _weakling_ got _my_ girlfriend booted off the show! How do you _think_ I'm feeling right now?!"

"Hey, you're speaking to a guy whose _own_ girlfriend got kicked off the show, and _that_ was due to injury! Preaching to the choir on that one!"

"Oh dear," Dawn said, staring at the pair of original competitors. "Their auras are changing wildly, but Heather's is _especially._ "

Duncan saw Dawn and narrowed his eyes.

" _Don't_ go rooting through her mind, either!"

"Yeah! Besides, I wouldn't even _let_ you do that!"

Heather and Duncan both looked at each other. Both had similar expressions on their faces, and their arms were both folded tightly.

" _STOP THAT!_ " they both yelled.

"Alright, alright, settle down, you four!"

Chris came rolling up on his trademark ATV. On the back were two rather familiar looking competitors.

The first immediately hopped off, twirling four long sticks in her hands. Dawn stared, mesmerized, as she saw every small twist of the wrist, every deft movement punctuated with a small " _ha!_ " and " _hi-yah!_ ", and every flash in her glasses from the sunlight.

Beth finished her presentation by tossing the sticks high in the air, watching, happily, as they arced towards the four, who each caught them smoothly.

"Thank you, thank you!" she said, bowing politely, as Dawn and Cameron burst into a round of applause.

Duncan and Heather still stared at her.

"Do I _know_ you?" Heather said, her tone cold and biting.

"No, but you'll know… _him!_ "

Beth motioned to the other person in the back of the ATV. He, however, was fast asleep, his snores reverberating throughout.

Duncan walked over and stared at him. Something seemed awfully familiar…

" _Ben?!_ "

* * *

 **Duncan** : Of _course._ Figures I'd run into the only guy I still have some beef with… _figures._ *he sighs* Just my luck, right?

* * *

Ben was still snoozing away. Duncan eyed Chris suspiciously.

"Right. Did you _do_ something to him, or—"

"Nope! He's _just_ that lazy!"

With that, Chris roughly kicked Ben off the ATV and onto the ground.

" _OW!_ Chris, c'mon, you know I barely got any sleep!"

" _You slept for seven hours! Shut up!_ "

Beth was glaring at Ben, who stared at her pitifully.

"Chris, you wanted _him_ on the first season instead of me? _Why?!_ "

"Can't tell you! Maybe there's a higher power who wanted a cheap laugh!"

Ben groaned. "I'm not a cheap la—"

Anything he was about to say was interrupted by Duncan's howls of laughter. He was bent double, wheezing and struggling to breathe.

Ben sighed.

"Fine, guess I _am_ a cheap laugh."

* * *

 **Ben** : So, Sierra calls me back to the island, but my question is _why?_ I wasn't doing too badly after the show ended…I mean, well, I just started college and, uh…*he looks down, sighing* that's…about…it…*his voice trails off and he's left mumbling something incoherent, but unimportant*

* * *

"Now, you might be wondering why these two are here and why you're all holding sticks…" Chris started.

"I'm _really_ not," Duncan said, glaring at Ben for a brief moment before heading back to join the group.

"Well, anywho, today's challenge is all about scouring _every_ inch and corner of Camp Wawanakwa for… _these!_ "

Chris pulled out a wooden head from his pocket. It looked rather familiar.

"Wait, that's…" Heather started.

"Yup! Your former 'friend', Anne Maria!" Chris said, before cackling.

"Yeah! The small, wooden heads of all of your previously eliminated competitors are hidden all over the place! Your job is to find all ten and successfully stack them in the order they were eliminated!"

Duncan stared at him. "So…it's _just_ like that triathlon leg in season one…"

"Which _none_ of you were there for! Besides, none of the final six there even finished! Gwen kinda wimp keyed her way outta that one!"

"…and got eliminated for her troubles…" Ben mumbled under his breath.

"So, this time, we're going to see this challenge through to its conclusion! No wimp key, no nothing!

"Random heads are hidden all over Camp Wawanakwa! Your task is to find and assemble them! That is… _if you're able to hold on to them!_ "

All four contestants stared at each other in confusion.

"These two…" (he motioned to Beth and Ben, the latter still on the ground) "…will be tripping you up to take your heads, swapping the locations of certain heads, or both! Good luck keeping up with _anything_ going on here!"

"Uh, Chris?" Duncan said, looking frustrated, "can't we just, I unno, make sundaes instead or something?"

"That's what I asked Chef last night, but he said we were too mature for a challenge like that! Besides, could you imagine _everything_ that could go wrong?"

* * *

 **Duncan** : Yeah, I can. It's called Courtney, Mal, and a chart! …sounds like the setup to a joke with an awful punchline. *he sticks his tongue out and dry heaves.*

* * *

"Now…Duncan, Heather, since you two won immunity yesterday, you guys have a bit of an edge!"

Beth pulled out two scrolls of paper and handed them to the pair.

" _Read them when you've split up,_ " she hissed under her breath.

"Oh, one last thing! Dawn, if you use _any_ aura powers during this challenge, you're disqualified, and you'll have _one_ penalty vote against you at tonight's elimination!" Chris finished, smirking at her.

Dawn gulped and nodded.

"On _that_ note, it's time to take off!" Chris said, blaring an airhorn.

The four scattered at once, although two of them stayed relatively close together.

"So, Dawn, I'll keep an eye on you and make sure that you don't use anything aura-related. Got it?" Cameron said, keeping pace with his friend.

Dawn nodded but said nothing. She just gazed at the ground.

Cameron stared at her for a short time, his smile faltering momentarily.

* * *

 **Dawn** : As I thought. Chris knows I'm too powerful and he's making me out to be a large target! In hindsight, I _do_ deserve this…

 **Cameron** : Dawn's and my chances for making the final three _don't_ look too good right now. I mean, have you _seen_ Duncan's physical prowess? And Heather's on one mean streak since Jo left. *he gulps slightly* Brain, don't fail me now!

* * *

Duncan unfurled his scroll and began reading it as he ran.

 _Ten heads you must find, yay_

 _Meh, this paper writing is_

 _Really boring! See? I don't care what happens!_

 _This final four stinks! I could've gotten this from Total Drama Island!_

 _But nooo, someone decided to be a dumb fanfic writer and_

 _Bring KATIE to the final four! Why? What did she_

 _Offer as a character? And he had to_

 _Insert himself into the story and_

 _Find a girlfriend! What a loser!_

Duncan stared, his expression growing more and more furious.

 _He didn't even get halfway into this piece of paper! Good_ God, _Ben!_

* * *

 **Duncan** : Yeah, he should _not_ have made the final ten! Beth's right, she should've been in the first season over him!

* * *

Heather quickly read through her scroll of paper. Unlike Duncan, however, she had gotten better results from Beth.

 _In generalities, I'm sure you'll find_

 _Ten key locations for each head in mind_

 _Number one, you start where you sleep_

 _Number two, head to where it's dark and it's deep_

 _Thirdly, you have a large hill to climb,_

 _Number four, dive down for it, and you will find_

 _A fifth path ahead, to an isle of bones,_

 _Where six types of creature will call it their homes,_

 _An exaggeration, sure, but seven is lucky,_

 _It and eight will be with Chris's rubber ducky_

 _Nine lives have you, every now and then_

 _You'll find it along the jungle path to ten_

 _Now that you know, I'm sure you'll think_

 _This is quite easy, I'll get it faster than I can blink!_

 _That's where we come in, we'll switch and we'll swap,_

 _We'll make you so tired you'd want to flop!_

 _But with this rule in mind, it will help you see_

 _We can't break through the lines; each head is where it ought to be_

 _So, take heed, camper, and beware_

 _Tread lightly, go swiftly, and, most importantly, take care!_

Heather read the paper through several times, her eyes narrowing further and further with each passing.

 _Really? This is a_ stupid _riddle!_

* * *

 **Heather** : Leave it to someone like _Beth_ to create something nonsensically cryptic! I remember season 1! Ben was _way_ too lazy and uncreative to come up with something like this! I mean, come on, he was all talk, no show! *she scoffs* What did Bridgette _see_ in him? Loser.

* * *

Heather slowed down, reading through her paper more slowly.

 _Think, Heather! Right…'first you start where you sleep…'_

She kept on going…going…going…

 _Thunk._

Heather grunted as she detached herself from a familiar cave opening.

 _Wait a second…_

She scanned the paper once again, quickly.

' _Number two, head to where it's dark and it's deep…' Could it be?_

Heather grunted loudly as she slid down into the mineshaft. Everything here was nearly completely ruined; rocks and rubble were strewn all over the place.

She peered around in what little light there was.

There, on a piece of rubble next to a computer, was a wooden head. It was misshapen, sloppy, and roughly hewn.

She picked it up, glowering at it. It looked an awful lot like someone she knew, but barely.

She stared at the bottom, where a name was etched into it. _Mike...al?_

The lettering was sloppy, and that made it extremely difficult to read

 _Ugh, whoever it is, fine. Let's go!_

She scrambled up, plopping the head down onto the stick. The head had holes on the top and bottom of it, allowing it to slide down to the bottom of the stick easily.

* * *

 **Heather** : So, what Duncan and I got was a hint system! Perfect! Buuut, what did they mean by 'swap'? Unless… _hmmm…_

* * *

Cameron and Dawn were in the general vicinity of the Wawanakwa docks. Both were gasping and panting, bracing themselves by putting their hands on their knees.

" _This…challenge…is…impossible!_ " Cameron gasped, looking around for any sign of wood or head.

" _Speak…speak for yourself!_ " Dawn said, her panting slowly subsiding. "You're the one who's more intimately familiar with the show than I was!"

Cameron rubbed his lower lip. "Well…there _could_ be some obvious locations, others not so much, but…"

"But what?"

"Chris _usually_ has about two to three tricks up his sleeve. Hey, maybe we should check the docks! There could be something around here."

They did just that. Cameron peered around the battered down _Wawanakwa_ sign…and found three heads there.

"Hang on, this is, uh…Jo, Zoey, and Justin!" he said, peering them over.

"That's odd. You think they'd be hidden one head at a time!" Dawn said.

"Yeah…something's _fishy…_ someone's really getting lazy!"

* * *

 **Cameron** : I…have my theories on who's shirking their work.

* * *

Ben was snoring once again. He had a large sheet of paper open in front of him. It depicted the entirety of Camp Wawanakwa, plus Boney Island.

Each area was divided into sections, and several X's could be seen in each.

The sound of footsteps came from behind him.

"Okay, so now that I have _no_ idea on where to go, now wh— _AAAAAH!_ "

Duncan tripped over the "original character's" back, toppling over and getting bounced and bucked around.

"What the _hell?_ Right, I don't know what _this…_ " (he snatched Ben's piece of paper) "…is, but it's mine now!"

Ben snorted awake. "Wait, wha—MY CHEAT SHEET! NOOOOOOOO!"

"Yeah, you're _not_ getting this back until you learn something called _work ethic!_ You'd never last a day in juvie!"

Ben looked up at him, a little forlorn. "You know…you're absolutely right! Thanks, Duncan!"

Duncan quirked an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, but wh—"

"Well, I mean…it was my lousy performance that caused me to lose favor with about 90 percent of my team…Bridgette and DJ had my back, and you did too sometimes, but, well…that was it."

Duncan groaned. _Jeez, he keeps flip-flopping all over again! What is he, someone's warped fantasy?_

He crouched down so that he and Ben were eye-to-eye. "Right. Fine. I _think_ I gotta make amends here…I mean, well, Zoey, uh, helped me see another side of myself."

"Good for you."

Duncan rubbed the bridge of his nose, exhaling in exasperation. "I'm…I'm sorry for how I treated…you…sometimes…"

"Hey, it's cool. Seeing you grow and mature like that throughout the season was interesting to see. You even got a steady relationship out of it!"

Duncan cracked a small smile. "Huh. You're right!"

"Yeah, I know! But, honestly, Duncan, I'd be careful if I were you."

The smile vanished. "If you start badmouthing Zoey, I can _easily_ rearrange your skull."

"I know you can. But…think about it. The lust for the million really brought a bad rift between Bridgette and I, and, well…I started acting really entitled, too. It wasn't pretty."

Duncan's laughter rang throughout the area. "You… _lust for the million?_ Get real! If anyone had passion, it was completely, honestly, one-hundred percent Eva! Girl had passion in spades!"

"Yeah, you're not _wrong…_ and look where that passion got her. Gone by her own hubris, in two seasons!"

"Yeah, but what's that got to do with you? I knew you were acting entitled, but you sure did a bad job of showing it!"

"Yeah, and I didn't really _tell_ it either…detail wasn't my forte…" Ben mused, a small smirk on his face.

"Eh. Season 1 was wack anyway. Looking back, it's like…we've grown up a bit since then, hey?"

"Since Linny, Tuck, and Ming-Ming, too?"

"Never mention that again."

 **Ben** : Yeah, Season 1 was weird. I mean, if I could squint and look closely for the first few challenges, you think I'd be in a really lacking version of an alternate Total Drama! One where Ezekiel was voted off first, Heather made it to the final three, and Trent and Gwen were the hot new item! *he thinks for a minute.* On second thought, I think that's a better idea than the actual first season.

"So…I think I'll give _this_ back to you…" Duncan murmured, sliding Ben the paper back. "You need it more than I do."

Ben's eyes opened a little wider, and he lunged for Duncan's shoddy "hint".

"Right. I know how I'll help you now."

He set to work almost immediately, but Duncan noticed that he wasn't writing anything of note.

Several minutes in, the sound of footsteps grew closer and closer, until—

" _HA!_ I'll take _that,_ thank you very much!"

Ben yelled as Heather yanked the larger piece of paper away from him, before the latter sprinted off to parts unknown.

"REALLY? I MEAN, _REALLY?!_ "

He angrily finished the last of the drawing. It was a pocket-sized version of the island, quite similar to his cheat sheet. It was covered in X's as well.

"There. That _should_ be a general location of the heads you'd need. Obviously, some others _aren't_ in these sections, but these have the highest probability of having something…"

His pupils turned into pinpricks.

"Oh, crap. I left bunches of heads in really easy-to-find locations."

* * *

 **Ben** : WHAT WAS I _THINKING?!_

 **Beth** : He _wasn't_ thinking! Ben…are-are you for _real?!_

* * *

Cameron and Dawn exchanged a high-five between each other. Each of them had 5 heads: Cameron carrying Cody, Eva, Gwen, Zoey, and Ezekiel, while Dawn had Anne Maria, Brick, Justin, Zoey, and Jo.

"You know…if we combine these, we can get _extremely_ close to earning immunity!" Dawn said, looking ecstatic.

"You're _right!_ Why didn't I think of that?"

"Well, there's the issue of who the immunity's going _to…_ "

"You're right, but I think you de— _AAAAAH!_ "

Both Revenge alumni screamed as they were swept up into a large net, which then hoisted itself high into the air. A tree branch broke their ascent, but a series of quick motions from below ensured that neither of them would be getting down anytime soon.

"Ha! Try to get out of my _Pelham's Patented Predicament!_ Patent pending."

Beth, a smirk of triumph on her face, came out from behind the tree; having fastened a tight knot to the rope keeping the other two high in the air.

"Uh, Beth?" Cameron asked, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead. "Can we get _down_ , please?"

"No can do!" Beth leaned against the tree, cheerfully grinning up at them. "Host's orders!"

"But—but—we were on the same team!" Dawn said, exasperated.

"So? I don't have to be nice to a bunch of _trai—_ hold on, Beth, caaaalm down there…they were gone _waaaaay_ before Justin came and _TOTALLY SCREWED OVER YOUR CHANCES OF W—_ "

She bit her lip forcefully. A small trickle of blood ran down her chin.

"Uh…Beth?" Cameron asked, looking at his heads. "Do we need to give these up?"

"Well, yeah, you'd _have_ to pay the price for getting _down…_ tell you what. Given how many both of you have, you have to give up 3 each! Normally it'd be 1, but, welllll…"

"Ben's handiwork, I know," Dawn said, sighing. "We found the other 7 under the mess hall stairs."

Beth groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose, rubbing it. "Just…just give them here."

Without hesitation, Cameron and Dawn dropped Anne Maria, Justin, Jo, Cody, Brick, and one of their Zoey's.

"Pleasure doing business with you!" Beth said, hopping back behind the tree and cutting them loose.

She gently lowered them to the ground, then immediately bound back over to gather up the 6 heads.

"I've got some _helper head to hurt,_ " she scowled, walking off.

Cameron and Dawn sighed. _So close…_

* * *

Heather, in the meantime, had obtained 3 heads. One of Eva, one of Cody, and one of Mike.

 _Hmmm…according to this cheat sheet and this hint system, I should be close to a fourth…_

She was in the woods, and the light was getting clearer. She whistled softly as she passed through several burnt, cut-down trees.

"Yeesh. Remind me to never anger whoever did _that…_ "

She sprinted out of the forest, then gazed upon a rather familiar location.

Ben yelped as Beth kicked him with everything she had. Given her military background, the results were rather painful.

" _I'VE…HAD…ENOUGH…OF…YOUR…STINKING…_ _ **CRAP!**_ " she screamed, grabbing her rope and binding him to it extremely tightly.

Heather looked nearby the scene. _'along the jungle path to ten'…but is this really ten?_

Her mouth dropped open as her eyes fell upon something next to the pair.

Or, rather, _six_ things.

* * *

 **Heather** : HAHAHAHAHA! Victory is _mine!_

* * *

Heather sprinted over, snatched the six heads, and took off in a flash.

Beth, unfortunately for her, noticed this out of the corner of her eye.

" _GET BACK HERE!_ "

Beth ran off as quickly as she could, leaving Ben bound and gagged in his spot.

" _Mmmph, mmmmmmph!_ " he moaned, before flopping to the ground.

" _Mmmh._ "

Heather cackled as she sorted all of the heads she needed.

 _So, all I'm missing is…oh, of_ course _I would…_

* * *

 **Heather** : Leave it to Gwen and her grimy homeschool boyfriend to hold me back one last time! _Joy._

* * *

Beth was gaining ground against her adversary.

 _Why didn't I set a trap for her there? Stinking_ emotions!

* * *

 **Beth** : I'm not mad about getting unfairly voted out! I'm _not!_ *she slams against the wall of the confessional, which completely collapses. She screams as the rest falls on her, too* … _I DON'T DESERVE THIS!_

* * *

Heather grabbed her Cody head and took aim.

 _Only one shot at this…ready…aaaaand…_

She threw Cody's head as hard as she could.

He smacked against a tree…and ricocheted off into parts unknown.

 _Well…that worked…_

Heather grunted a bit. The path was getting more and more steep.

 _Wait…this is_ awfully _familiar…_

She noticed some groove marks and what appeared to be a dropped can of hairspray.

"Anne Maria got us into that mess…now she…can, ugh…get me _out_ of this one!"

* * *

 **Heather** : Pun _not_ intended.

* * *

Heather grabbed the hairspray can, slowing down ever so slightly.

"Alright…alright…you win, Beth."

Beth skidded to a halt, stopping just short of Heather.

"Good! I'll take those five you stole then, please!"

What she heard next was not what she expected.

Heather was weeping. Her wails were long, loud, and painful to the ears.

" _What is it?_ " Beth said a little loudly, covering her ears from the onslaught.

"Oh, nothing, it's j-just th-that J—Jo's _gone_ and I miss her and now all…all the rest of the competitors are gonna gang up on _meeeeeeeeeee!_ "

The last word came out as a high-pitched shriek, causing Beth to wince in pain.

"So? Cheating isn't going to help you reach the final three!"

Heather wailed again. "So? I'm n—not a _jerk!_ I'm j-just lonel— _heeeeeee!_ "

Beth stared at the camera that was aimed at her face. _She_ seriously _thinks I'm gonna fall for this?_

"Yeah? Well, look at how you've _acted_ this season! I mean, yeah, people like Anne Maria and Justin were worse, but—"

Heather collapsed to her knees, sobbing like nothing else. Beth facepalmed.

"Well, I-I s-s-saw _this…_ (Heather pulled Anne Maria's hair spray from her pocket)…a-and it g-g-got me to th-th-thinking ab-about _her!_ "

Beth sighed and knelt down next to Heather. "Alright, alright…I'll only ask for _four_ ba—"

 _PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHT._

With one single, fluid motion, Heather gave Beth a faceful of spray. The latter stood up and stared at her, her expression (or what could be seen, as her glasses were soaked) unchanging.

Heather stood, too. " _HA!_ That's a win!"

Beth folded her arms and an eyebrow was raised.

"… _Really,_ Heather?"

Heather then started stomping her feet, making sure to make each successive stomp softer and quieter than the last.

"Later, lose _rrrrrrr…_ " she said, making sure that her voice grew quieter and more distant with every passing second.

Beth sighed, took off her glasses, and began to clean them on her clothes.

 _PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHT!_

This time, the effect was immediate: Beth screeched loudly as she fell to the floor, rolling and clutching her eyes. Heather smirked as she saw them swelling from in-between Beth's fingers.

"And _that's_ a wrap! So long, _sucker!_ "

This time, she legitimately ran, cackling, all the way up the Wawanakwa hill.

* * *

 **Heather** : And _that's_ how you successfully cheat the system! Sorry, Beth! You're either a winner, or you're not me!

* * *

"Hurry, Dawn!"

Cameron was panting as he and Dawn headed towards the beach. Several canoes, some red, others green, lay in front of them.

"Do you really think Chris—or anyone else for that matter—would hide any heads on Boney Island?"

"I do! In fact, I'm sure there's a _few_ heads exclusive to here!"

Dawn gulped slightly. _This_ wasn't _what I had in mind!_

* * *

 **Dawn** : Heading back to a place populated with dangerous wild animals…several of which, I had under my control, and even severely injured…*she shivers slightly* It's…discomforting.

* * *

Cameron quietly paddled all the way to Boney Island. He strained through the thickening fog.

"Huh. Don't know if I remember this during my nightly travels here."

Dawn gulped.

Cameron looked back and gave her a small smile.

"Oh, _right,_ I don't think you've really _been_ here…well, save for the Fun Zone, but I _don't_ think we'll have to go there."

Dawn gulped. "Given Chris's sadomasochistic streak, I tend to doubt it…"

Cameron looked ahead. The gate was right there, and it could be a quick search…

"You know what? You're right!"

"You mean we're going to—"

"Yeah! To the Fun Zone!"

* * *

 **Cameron** : I'm _pretty_ sure I heard one of my mom's arteries give out…sorry, mom!

* * *

The two opened the regular door beside the large gate. Cameron gazed inside.

"Dawn…this might be surprising, but I'll go on ahead first. The last thing I want you to do is activate your aura here."

Dawn nodded. "That penalty vote hangs over my head, much like my emotional state once did…"

 _More like it still does…_ Cameron thought to himself, before he slipped on in.

What lay before him shocked him to his core.

Several of the mutated animals lay bruised, battered, bloody, and beaten. Larry moaned softly, her large tongue lolling.

Cameron's mouth dropped open. " _WHAT?!_ "

"What is it?" Dawn's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Uh…you can come, too! It's…totally… _safe?_ "

Cameron stared on ahead, past the plethora of animals.

 _There can't be a bigger player at work here, can there?_

* * *

 **Cameron** : Well, the _only_ person I can remotely think of who would hurt this many animals is either Eva or Zoey. *he chuckles a bit* Can't believe I mentioned those two in the same sentence. They were _really_ different in the beginning, weren't they? Ah, development.

* * *

Both teens carefully stepped over the fauna and flora, heading deeper and deeper into the zone.

Dawn gasped. "I feel…a malevolent aura…"

"You know what'll happen if you act upon that…"

Dawn nodded, sighing. "So…what do you propose?"

Cameron's eyes narrowed almost at once. A confident smirk grew across his face.

" _Let's get dangerous._ "

* * *

 **Cameron** : I _don't_ think I would've _ever_ said something like that at the start of the season. It's…fascinating!

* * *

With Cameron in the lead, the two approached the same set of cliffs where Justin had met his downfall, although neither of them knew this.

However, there were several signs of the place being trashed. Scorch marks were strewn all over the area, and several holes were seen.

Most surprising, however, was the figure sitting atop the cliff, which was now carved and hewn to look like a throne.

" _FANG?!_ "

* * *

 **Cameron** : So _that's_ why he barely showed up this season!

 **Fang** : *he beams at the camera, teeth glinting*

* * *

Fang lazily tossed several wooden heads up in the air.

"Wait…one, two, three, four… _ten?!_ Dawn, that's a whole _set_ of them there! If we can get those from Fang, we've got it made!"

Dawn's gaze followed the heads that were being thrown up into the air. "Now, I have to ask. Was this _intentional_ or was Ben being lazy again?"

Cameron shrugged. "Six of one, half a dozen of the other, right?"

* * *

 **Dawn** : Well, he's not _wrong._ Chris _would_ be the one to test our mettle like this. I mean, I _was_ the one to throw a wrench in his plans to make the blue harvest moon, well, _safe._

* * *

Fang stood, dropping his heads of Ezekiel and Gwen.

" _Dawn…I'll distract him. You get whatever you can!_ " Cameron hissed.

" _That's extremely dangerous!_ " she whispered back.

" _I know!_ "

Dawn trembled slightly, then pulled Cameron into a tight hug.

"Be careful, okay?" she whispered softly in his ear.

As Cameron gently pulled away, he swore he heard a small sniffle.

* * *

 **Cameron** : I _know_ Dawn cares about me, more than anything…but you saw how she acted at the end of the regatta challenge! You know, when Mike returned? *he sighs* She's still got some things to sort out! I can't help her with that!

* * *

" _Yoo-hoo!_ Lookie, lookie! I'm a biiiiig distraction!"

Dawn facepalmed as she saw Cameron jumping up and down, waving his arms wildly in the air.

Fang, actually having more than two brain cells, gave Dawn a quizzical look.

"I'm sorry, he's normally _far_ less subtle with things like this…" Dawn murmured.

Fang, getting the hint, immediately lunged for Dawn. She shrieked.

" _Dawn!_ " Cameron gasped as he saw her bolt for it, ducking and darting through several trees. Her stick, complete with heads, fell to the ground.

"Alright, let's see here…"

Cameron grabbed his and Dawn's sticks and hastily started stacking the heads onto each of them.

 _No time to sort things out…gotta run an—_

" _CAMERON!_ "

A low growl from behind caused Cameron to freeze. He knew who _that_ was.

"N-nn-nice shark…" he said, legs trembling.

Fang, grinning, cocked a fist back, ready to strike.

Cameron gulped. His eyes narrowed once more.

"But not nice enough to dodge _this!_ "

He dove straight for the gap in between Fang's legs, just as the latter swung forward.

Albeit a little roughly, Cameron slid through, while the loud _crack_ from behind indicated that Fang's punch had collided with his makeshift throne.

"Dawn, take this, and _run!_ " he said, staggering upright again and hurrying towards her.

He gently tossed one of his sticks to Dawn, who caught it.

A loud _bang_ from behind signaled that Fang had recovered and was ready to head them off once more.

"Cameron, please don't worry about me! _Run!_ "

Cameron looked back. Dawn had put her stick on the ground, and was standing firm, facing Fang.

"Wait, but—Chris said you're not allowed to use—"

"There's no other way."

A burst of aura shot out of Dawn. Cameron winced and slowly backed away.

"Cameron, take the stick and _go._ I'll meet with you later!"

A tendril grasped her stick and tossed it gently towards the young man she thought would take it.

With several _plops_ hitting the ground shortly afterwards, Dawn knew, in the back of her mind, that he had fled.

* * *

 **Dawn** : Cameron, _why?_ You had _every_ opportunity to take the stick, combine what we had, and win immunity! You're usually _smarter_ than that!

 **Cameron** : When that aura burst came out, I, uh…had flashbacks to the blue harvest moon and, uh…what Dawn did. I _had_ to run. It's almost like…I couldn't do anything else! …*he lowers his head and breathes a heavy sigh* Is—is this trauma?

* * *

Cameron didn't dare divert from the path he had set for himself. The only thing that mattered now was the door out.

Several loud grunts and the sounds of something slamming into the ground emanated from behind. Sweat started to drip from Cameron's body.

 _No, no, no! I need to get out of here,_ now!

He began running faster, yelling as he did so. It was a way to ease some of his tension and to mask the aches and pains coming from his legs and lungs.

The door was straight ahead! He was almost ou—

Cameron's feet left the ground, still running as quickly as before. Unfortunately, given he was in the air, his efforts were futile.

 _Wait…I can't fly!_

Cameron gulped and looked up. Only now did he notice the sharp talons digging into his hoodie.

A mutated Canada goose was flapping furiously, hoisting itself and Cameron up and over the gate and into the jungle.

"W-wait! I need to get down! _I need to get do—_ "

The goose squawked, loudly. Its flight speed increased dramatically.

Cameron clung on tightly to the goose's legs, curling his lower half into a semblance of a ball.

 _I'm a dead man…_

He stared around him, and then down. The signature skull of Boney Island was prominent on his left side.

 _Huh, no wonder nothing looks familiar. I don't think I've ever been here before…_

* * *

 **Cameron** : During my only real stay on Boney Island, I kept close to the beach. That was in case something went wrong; I had a place to dive and hide! Although, I needn't have worried; my initial plan was still a success!

* * *

They passed over an entrance of some sort. Cameron gaped.

Bears, beavers, blind gophers, and more were strewn everywhere. Most, from what Cameron could tell, looked injured or stressed.

The last thing Cameron saw was a ragged nest, full of what appeared to be hungry baby animals.

Then, the goose let go, and everything went black.

* * *

Heather got out of the Wawanakwa waters that lay below the signature cliff. She had a head in her hands, but something was wrong.

It was difficult for her to see.

"Okay, _what_ is this stuff?" she said, rubbing her eyes vigorously and sniffling a bit. She stared coldly at the hairspray can.

"' _Have a problem with guys sniffing your hair? Now, try new patented Pep-Hair! Hair spray with a kick!'_ …okay, hold on— _contains pepper spray?! WHAT THE HELL?!_ "

* * *

 **Heather** : Anne Maria was lugging _this_ around?! You saw what she was like, she was the stalk- _er,_ not the stalk- _ee!_ What, did she have some _awful_ experience in her youth that justified using _this?!_ Ugh!

* * *

Heather pulled out her hint and cheat sheet. She winced.

 _Yeah,_ probably _should've taken better care of these…_

Both pieces of paper were soaked; the writing was illegible and parts of it were completely faded.

"Let's see here… _Mike? Again?!_ "

She threw the head away as hard as she could. "Stupid…stinking… _rrrrgh!_ "

"And I'll take _that,_ thanks!"

Duncan smoothly caught Mike's head and sorted it out on his stack.

"Well, would you look at that? All I'm missing now is…"

Heather's eyes turned to pinpricks. " _Zoey._ "

"Yup! And I _think_ I see her with you! Tell you what…give me immunity, and I _won't_ be voting you out tonight!"

Heather thought for a moment. Then, she slowly took Zoey's head and slid it off the rest of the stack.

"Thanks! Pleasure doing business with you."

"Well, if you _want_ it so badly…you're going to have to _find_ it first!"

Heather then threw Zoey's head as hard as she could towards the ring in the water where, long ago, both had dived into shark-infested waters.

Almost as if on cue, a freshwater shark splashed out of the water and swallowed the head whole.

" _Ha!_ Take _that_ , delinquent!"

"Joke's on you! You'll need another Zoey head!"

"Oh, I _think_ I know where I can find a few…"

Heather motioned across the water to Boney Island. Several flashes of green emanated from the soupy fog surrounding it.

"You're welcome to join me if you want, buuuuut…knowing you, you'll find another way to cheat the system!"

Duncan scowled. "Eh. I'll find another Zoey head somehow!"

"Sure, but I _think_ you're running out of places here aaaaaand _two_ people are completely incapacitated!"

Duncan glared at her. "Fine. _Fine._ I'll play your stinking game."

* * *

 **Duncan** : You know, she's not _wrong._ I found a bunch of heads just scattered around the loser cabin, but that's about it, you know? Also, I saw Ben marked some X's on Boney Island and put asterisks on 'em…guess that means some _are_ limited to there. Huh!

* * *

Duncan and Heather sprinted towards the canoes, both grabbing one and paddling out at the same time.

Each glared at the other as they sped out into the fog.

* * *

 **Heather** : If it's a race to immunity he wants, it's a race to immunity he'll _get!_

* * *

Dawn darted in and out of Fang's punches, with her tendrils blocking and binding his arms wherever possible.

"You weren't _nearly_ as difficult to deal with before…weren't you?"

Fang snarled at her. Saliva dripped from his teeth, and as it hit the ground, it bore through it.

"Acid? That's…new. Also, I don't think sharks can produce…well, spit."

Fang broke free from her tendril and snarled. His eyes were glowing green; his pupils were turning into slits.

"If I had to guess, you…you…"

Dawn shuddered. It had finally clicked.

" _Why_ are you ingesting more radiation?!"

Fang gnashed his teeth. His body trembled and the muscles in his arms spasmed wildly.

Dawn retracted her tendrils until it was just the aura around her body. Her eyes then began glowing green.

 _If I can get a read on him, then…_

Fang, sensing a moment of weakness, charged towards Dawn, roaring.

Her tendrils shot out again, latching themselves to Fang's wrists. Before the latter could respond, Dawn darted forward and seized his hands.

 _This…will be dangerous, but I have to try!_

Dawn's vision faded, only to be replaced with someone else's. However, the edges of the vision were tinged with neon-green radiation.

"…whoa, cool! Hey, Chef! Look at this!"

The field of vision was about to submerge under the waters surrounding Camp Wawanakwa, but the appearance of a second figure piqued its curiosity. It bobbed in the water, its glaring eyes the only things they could see.

"Well, Chris, that's obviously a holdover from the toxic waste! Whatcha wanna do about 'im…"

"I mean, we _kinda_ wanna keep the image of a crusty old summer camp, and, well, a mutated shark won't _really_ fit the bill, you know?"

The blue-shirted figure turned towards the field of vision.

"Ya got that, dude? Lay low, stay hidden, and we'll forget you exist! Simple!"

The field of vision grew narrower, but the nod was unmistakable.

As it plunged into the waters, the last words by Chris were heard.

"Gee, Chef! Looks like he can understand us! Ha!"

The vision disappeared and changed again.

 _So…_ _ **hungry…**_

The waters were barren of any small fish to eat. Should he make himself known with the "Chris" person and his partner again?

The waters above him churned violently. Looking up, the bottoms of several canoes were paddling out towards…

…well, what _was_ the name of the place he now called home? It had a nice, large skull on the front of it…

Skull Island? Eh, it would have to do.

Soon after the canoes finished frothing up the waters, the field of vision splashed onto the Wawanakwa shoreline.

 _ **Hungry…**_

The vision trudged towards a place where some smells and some small electrical charges were emanating from.

It barged in. The same chef was there, cooking something on a stovetop.

He looked up.

"Hol' on… _HEY! BEAT IT! BEAT! IT!_ "

He hurled the sizzling ladle in his hand at the field of vision, hard. It flinched visibly, an extremely painful sensation growing on its head.

" _DON' COME BACK!_ " he yelled again, as the vision dove into the waters as fast as it could.

The vision changed once more. It was late at night.

Several fascinating scents were coming from the same place he went to a while back. How long was it?

…eh. It didn't matter.

The field of vision emerged from the water and sniffed. It daren't get out; what if it was a trap?

… _Mmh?_

This smell was foreign to him. It was sweet, yet tangy, but it tasted like it was already eaten.

He _had_ to investigate!

One trip to the beach, and dry land, later, and Fang was back to the mess hall.

There Chef was, at the entryway, whistling as he dumped several portions of uneaten flip flop into a garbage can.

"Stinkin' kids, refusin' to eat even _my_ slop!" he grumbled, as Fang grew slowly closer.

Chef sniffed the air. "Somethin' smells… _fishy._ "

He looked down, not even amused.

"I _tol'_ you to _beat it!_ "

Fang growled slightly. Chef tensed for a brief moment.

"Mmm…whatcha _want?_ "

Fang pointed to the garbage can. The smell was emanating from there, he was sure of it!

"What, _this?_ It's leftovers from today's challenge!

An eye narrowed slightly in confusion. _Chall…?_

"Ah, forget it…just take this crap and get _outta_ here! I've got my eye on that Justin kid!"

Fang greedily swiped the can and started to scarf down its contents.

The taste was, well…indescribable. What tasted like gum, caulk, and raw garbage filled Fang's mouth. Along with…

With…

Fang's cheeks puffed out and he held his hands to his mouth.

"Yup, that's _baby vomit!_ "

At Chef's words, Fang immediately vomited it all back up. Running as fast as he could, he splashed back into the water to which he was so familiar.

That human tried to…poison him? That scum! He would pay!

The vision changed again. It was once again late at night, but Fang wasn't mindlessly bobbing in the water.

He smelled, and felt the electrical charge of, well, someone.

 _Food._

With every ounce of strength and speed he had, he barreled towards the source.

A baby blue sweatshirt…some rather skinny jeans…blonde hair…

 _Eh. Food._

The victim's body tensed. Was it from him, or was it something else?

It didn't matter. He was hungry.

He rammed hard into the small of her back, which propelled both of them up and onto the beach.

Fang grinned as his prey struggled to run, but she tripped and fell almost immediately.

His jaws opened wide…

 _BLOOOOOOOSH._

A powerful jet of water filled his mouth, causing him to spit and back away slowly. He looked past his victim, only to see…

It was that "Chef" person again. How odd.

"… _pain to deal with…evious owners…obsession with mutant mo…otta do this for Ch…_ "

Whatever the "Chef" character was saying was muffled and difficult to understand, but it didn't matter. Fang dove back under the water, his rage growing…

The visions disappeared. However, the next ones were hazy and difficult to parse through.

Dawn gulped. _I…I think I see what's going on here…_

She shuddered violently. The field of vision was getting greener and stronger.

 _Um…let me see if I can—_

A vision immediately popped into view. It was Sam, who was beating Fang viciously under the water, causing him to lose one of his teeth in the process.

It immediately vanished, only to be replaced with Jo, who was doing likewise.

Dawn looked puzzled. _Huh?_

The next memory was extremely difficult to examine, due to the green haze making anything that could be seen slightly opaque.

However, there was no mistaking that bright red hair. Especially since it clashed horribly with the green tint.

Zoey had launched Fang high into the air, causing him to crash outside the Fun Zone with a loud _bang!_

Fang lay outside the zone for a minute, feeling every ache, every bit of pain undulate through his body.

 _That's it…_

Dawn stared, surprised. _He wasn't this coherent before…Fang?_

Fang skulked around the non-Fun Zone related portion of the island for the rest of the night, only returning once Chef had claimed both Zoey and Gwen.

He stared, furious, at the other mutated animals. He stared at his own hands, then balled them up into fists.

 _They'll pay…_

He stormed over to the toxic green river and began to drink ravenously.

The memory vanished. All that remained was green.

Dawn strained slightly to get any other memories jogging, but to no av—

One last memory appeared, but it was extremely hard to see.

Larry lay before him, defeated. Fang growled slightly, pointing to the cliffs in the back.

The other mutated animals came towards him, ready to br—

They were already on the floor, beaten and bruised, Fang stood over them victorious—

They were building his throne, a throne just for him, where he could rule with an iron f—

There was nothing left now but green and fury and aura and her power is mine, all mine, I'll tear her limb from l—

Dawn snapped back to reality. Sweat was coursing down her face.

"F- _Fang?_ "

The heavily mutated shark stared blankly ahead. What he could see, she didn't know.

His eyes were blank, green, and glowing. A steady aura surrounded him.

A soft growl escaped his lips. The aura started to flow.

However, it was much unlike Dawn's aura, which emanated outward from her body. This aura flowed through where his nerves would be located, as well as trickling through his bloodstream.

 _I need to run._ Now.

Fang's next roar shook the Fun Zone. Its strength flared outwards, knocking Dawn off her feet and sending her stick and heads flying.

The trees shook, and several branches snapped. Dawn's stick and her heads got jammed into the trunk.

Dawn shook her head, trying to clear it.

 _I gave him far too much of my aura…I did it again, Cameron!_

Several loud stomps grew closer and closer. The ground quaked.

Fang was standing above her, grinning maliciously, his eyes glowing even greener.

" _NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN…_ "

Dawn stood, gulping.

"Right…if I can calm down from a berserk state, so can you!"

Fang replied by punching Dawn in the stomach.

She flew. Through several trees, then by crashing and sliding along the ground, she went quite a distance.

She moaned as her tendrils tended to her wounds. She struggled to get any semblance of air back in her lungs.

 _This is bad…_

It was. Fang was on her again in an instant, his teeth bared, ready to strike.

 _No, no, nononono—_

It was too late. Fang's bite tore off a majority of Dawn's left arm and gashed her side.

She shrieked, sharp and fierce.

* * *

Heather and Duncan, still heading towards Boney Island's beach, stared at each other, slightly nervous.

"So…we're staying away from that, right?" Heather couldn't hide the slight note of panic in her voice.

" _Yeah._ "

* * *

 **Duncan** : Honestly, I don't know what's happening there, or what Dawn's getting up to, but it _can't_ be good. Honestly, where's Cameron's brains when you need him?

* * *

Cameron's vision was hazy and spotty in places. Unidentifiable shapes swam in and out of focus.

 _Wha…_

His vision came to full focus. He stared at the multitude of birds gazing quietly at him.

One, however, was in the process of swallowing his Jo head.

" _HEY!_ "

Cameron was up in a flash, struggling to get himself, and his stick, out of the nest.

"If you wanted some nourishment, you—you could've eaten me instead! I've got meat underneath all this!"

The birds stared at him. One clicked its beak ominously.

 _Me and my big mouth._

Cameron screamed and bolted immediately. The birds squawked loudly but didn't give chase.

 _Well, that's weird! Normally, they'd be far more predatorial! Oh well, better safe than so—_

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_ "

Cameron plummeted down, down, down into a deep pit.

 _CRASH._

He struggled to his feet. "What _is_ this?"

He searched for his stick and heads, but to no avail.

The next sound he heard could have made his heart stop.

"Oh, look! Some _loser_ left their loot here! Ooh…what's _this?_ "

"Heather? _Heather!_ Let _go_ of that! It's not yours!"

Heather looked down the pit.

"Sorry, snotty! It's not up to _you_ to decide what I do! I'll be taking _these._ "

She snatched up Zoey and Gwen's heads from Cameron's stack, before dropping it all down.

Cameron screamed again as the heads and stick clattered either next to him or on his head.

"Can you help me out here?!"

"Nope! You're on your own!"

Cameron sighed as Heather skulked off. "Fine! _Fine!_ See if I care!"

* * *

 **Cameron** : Well, I know who _I'm_ voting off tonight! Not like I wasn't going to already…

* * *

Heather headed back to the gate of the Fun Zone. Duncan was there, peering through the door.

"Okay, Heather? You're _kiiiinda_ gonna want to see this."

"Ugh, do I _have_ to?! What, is freaky teat suckler getting two times the action from a two-headed gopher?"

"Gross, but no."

He gave Heather enough berth to examine the scene.

"Huh. So, she's fighting for her life against some crazy mutated animal. Big deal. Why should I care?"

"You _do_ realize that's Fang, right?"

Heather's brow furrowed. "You're _kidding…_ "

"Does it _look_ like I'm a kidder to you?"

Heather looked a little more of a ways out. "I bet there's some heads out there…"

Duncan stared at Heather's stick, his glare intensifying. "Right. We had a deal. I'll take the Zoey head, thank you very m—"

"No way! Over my dead body!"

"Ugh, fine, I'll get it myself…wait, where _did_ you find that, anyway?"

"Oh, over there. Baby Bubble's in a hole, whimpering for mommy. I gave him what he needed."

Duncan glared. "Right. You might not be Mal or Justin level, but you're _sick._ "

"Not my fault you got my girlfriend booted! Ta ta!"

With that, Heather opened the door.

She was extremely lucky that Fang was focused so intensely on the opponent in front of him, who had fully healed herself.

Both were dueling back and forth with ferocity. Dawn's tendrils whipped and snapped, while Fang ducked and darted from the blows.

Heather stared at the brawl for a few seconds, drinking it in.

 _Well, well…leave it to her to take on this crazy shark…_

She crept onwards…slowly… _slowly…_

 _Crunch._

Heather squeaked and looked down. The small twig under her wedge had snapped cleanly in two.

A growl came from her left side. Shaking, she slowly turned to look at her new foe.

Fang's grin grew wide, and his eyes glimmered.

* * *

"Cameron? _Cameron!_ "

Cameron groaned and rubbed the top of his head. A small lump had formed from where one of the wooden heads had hit it.

"Duncan?"

"Yeah, it's me! Listen! I'm gonna get you outta here! Hang on!"

Duncan's footsteps subsided. Cameron whimpered slightly.

"Dawn…I don't know what's going on there, but…"

* * *

Dawn's tendrils had wrapped themselves around Fang's arm and leg, but she was struggling to hold him in place.

" _You…nnngh…won't…hurt…heeeeeeeer…_ "

Fang's aura pulsed violently, and his muscles bulged. Dawn grunted as she slid forward slightly.

"Heath… _errrrrr…there miiiiight…beeeeee…something there…nnnnngh!_ "

Heather's heart pounded as she ran over to the set of trees by the cliffside. She found the stick and the heads wedged in deep.

 _Come on…come on…_

There it was. Ezekiel's head stared at her, a vacant smile etched on his face.

"GOT IT! _Oops!_ "

Fang snapped free from Dawn's grip. He roared once again, loud, long, and frantically. Dawn's face paled.

" _NO!_ "

It was too late. Fang bounded towards Heather, maw wide open.

Heather screeched and ducked.

 _CROONCH._

Fang's teeth sank deep into the tree, where Heather's (real) head once was. With one fluid motion, he had bitten straight through the tree, which caused it to tilt ominously to the side.

As the tree toppled and as Fang dislodged his mouth from the pulp and bark, Heather's look of abject fear changed to a lofty grin.

She yanked Ezekiel's head out of the newly freed space above it (thanks to Fang) and positioned it in-between Jo and Zoey's heads.

" _YES!_ "

"And it looks like Heather's won immunity, against all odds!"

The loudspeakers crackled on, causing Heather to jump slightly.

"Chris! _This isn't the time!_ " Dawn yelled, her tendrils binding up Fang again.

This time, they had no effect.

He immediately snapped free and lunged for his assailant.

Dawn leapt high in the air, panting and shaking. Her tendrils were trembling as well, as they formed great wings.

"Heather, I _know_ this might seem odd, but you need to grab _onto_ me, and we need to l—"

" _Not a chance, sucker!_ "

Dawn facepalmed hard. Heather had bolted towards the door, dropping her stick and heads.

Fang went for the live prey.

Dawn darted downwards, straining with all her might, hoping, pleading, that she could save Heather in time…

" _Got you!_ "

She strained; Heather was quite heavy. The latter shrieked and scrabbled at Dawn's hands.

"Let _go_ of me!"

"And leave you to suffer a gruesome death at Fang's hands? Absolutely _not!_ "

Heather shrieked as Dawn struggled to lift them both over the large gate lining the Fun Zone.

As Dawn landed, she looked back. She gasped.

" _YOU DIDN'T EVEN CLOSE THE DOOR?!_ "

With one swift motion, Dawn hurried over and slammed the door shut as hard as she could.

Her timing could not have been more perfect: with a loud _BANG_ , Fang slammed against the gate, hard.

 _Here's hoping he doesn't have the knowledge of operating a basic door handle…_ Dawn thought, as she slumped against the standard entrance area.

"Well, Heather, that was a—Heather?"

Heather had left quite a while ago. She was paddling back towards the main island as fast as her arms would take her.

* * *

 **Heather** : So, Freakazoid saves me from Fang-a-holic! What _happened_ in there? …on second thought, I don't think I want to know.

* * *

Cameron grunted slightly as he clung to Duncan's long stick he had dropped down.

"Don't worry, I'm not dropping this!"

"Good!" Cameron said, wiping his forehead. "That's a real relief!"

With both of their combined efforts, Cameron was up and out of the pitfall, wiping himself off of any dirt and grime he had accumulated.

"So, uh, ready to head back to camp?" Duncan said, peering out into the distance. "I _think_ I see Dawn…or it could be a palm tree."

Cameron breathlessly nodded.

The two met Dawn shortly after, and the three of them took both remaining canoes back to Camp Wawanakwa, where Chris was surely waiting for them.

Indeed, he was. He was standing with Heather, Beth, and Ben at the beach. Beth's eyes were horribly swollen, and Ben was still bound and gagged.

"So! Looks like we've all had an interesting day!"

Dawn looked down mournfully at the ground. "I know, Chris, I did what you didn't want me doing…"

"Well, yeah! First things first, you _totally_ prevented a crazy situation from getting any crazier! _However,_ you _were_ the one to get Fang all 'roided up like that in the first place!"

Cameron, Duncan, and Heather gasped.

" _What?!_ " Cameron yelled, exasperated.

Dawn didn't speak. She just dug the toe of her shoe into the sand.

"I'm a man of my word, Dawn. Even though you did it for a good cause, for _technically_ instigating the whole ordeal, you get a penalty vote tonight! So, I'd _probably_ be worried if I were you!"

Dawn silently nodded.

* * *

 **Dawn** : He's right. I _was_ the one who wanted to understand him, to…well, free him of his torment. By taking the non-violent option, I made everything worse…*she sniffs slightly and she wipes her nose* I'm not _cursed…_ am I?

* * *

"Lastly, even though Heather was _technically_ supposed to bring her sticks and head back here, I'll let it slide. Besides, I caught all of that on video!"

Heather smirked at the three of them.

"So..." Chris said, pausing slightly for dramatic effect, "Heather's immune, and that means the rest of you are fair game! See you tonight!"

With that, he walked cheerfully away.

* * *

"So, run that by me again?"

It was dinnertime, but Cameron, Dawn, and Duncan weren't interested in Chef's gunk.

Dawn gulped. "Well…after you ran from Fang, I decided to, well…see if I can ease his mind."

Cameron dropped his spoon that he wasn't using. " _What?!_ "

"I'm with him! _What?_ "

Dawn turned away, tears filling her eyes. "I'm sorry…I'm so, so, sorry…I shouldn't have done it, but it was…it was…"

"Instinct." Cameron finished for her.

Duncan looked at the young man sitting next to him. "And you know this _how,_ exactly?"

"It…well, it was her upbringing." Cameron stopped there; going any further would be divulging sensitive information.

Duncan sighed softly. "Yeah, I had a feeling no one was going to elaborate."

"You should know, Duncan," Dawn said, a small smile forming on her pale face.

Duncan scoffed. "Yeah, you're right. I'll give you props, you held him off for as long as you could. Given what happened on the blue harvest moon, I'd say that's a complete 180!"

"Oh…I never _did_ see what happened during the blue moon in his eyes…" Dawn's gaze was fixed on her food bowl, which was still full of who-knows-what.

"Dawn, that's—that's a bit much, isn't it?" Cameron asked, staring eye-to-forehead with her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's just that the further into his memories you went down, the more aura you were givi…wait."

He paused, staring down at his bowl. Both Dawn and Duncan stared at him.

"I _don't_ think you're at fault for giving him that aura."

"S-sorry?" Dawn jolted slightly, her face registered in a state of shock and confusion.

"Well, let's think about it this way. Remember the night before the Obsta-Kill course when we, uh, well…you know."

Duncan had a great amount of difficulty stifling his laughter, but Dawn gave him a confused look.

"What are you getting at, exactly?"

"Well, from what I remember you telling me last night, well, I had a slight amount of your aura in me, and that affected my body, right?"

"Yes, but—"

"Well, what if Fang had something similar happen, but…he _liked_ it? Like…he was hungry and wanted more, you know?"

Dawn stared at him, her face blank. "This didn't happen with—"

"Hey, hey, easy, easy…he doesn't have to know…about…that…" Duncan muttered. "Besides, Zoey was there, too."

Dawn's eyes widened. "Oh… _oh!_ "

Cameron alternated giving Duncan and Dawn a confused look, his head whipping rapidly. "I'm sorry, but, uh—"

"No, I _get_ it now! It all makes sense! No one was there to stop me in case things went beyond my control, so I had free reign to do what I liked! Besides, Fang was hungry, you see… _very_ hungry. I'd imagine it was difficult for him to get sustenance here...goodness knows, the radioactive river and my aura might have been a feast for the poor creature."

"Okay, so this was from his memories, right?"

"Yes! I'm surprised I was able to get at them, actually…I mean… _wait…_ "

Dawn's body shook slightly.

"I think…I think what I did only exacerbated what was already happening. He was angry, very angry, at being bested by people he thought 'lower' than him, so he started ingesting more radiation, and…and…his thoughts grew more coherent when he did so!

"A nearly-coherent, terrifyingly powerful, and vengeful, shark like that...combined with my aura…what's going to _happen?_ "

" _I_ know what's going to happen."

Heather smirked as she leaned against the mess hall wall.

"How long've you been there?" Duncan asked.

"Oh, a while. Enough to hear most of what Naturespark's been saying."

"Ugh, _fine._ Okay. So, Princess, _enlighten us._ "

"Well, _I_ know that one of your sorry butts is going home tonight. Judging by what happened today, I _think_ I have a good idea as to who _I'll_ be voting for…"

The loudspeakers crackled to life outside. " _All losers, please head to elimination…aaaalll losers…_ "

Dawn sighed. "I'll see you two down there."

"No." Cameron placed his hand on hers.

"No matter what happens to you now, we'll face this. Together."

* * *

 **Cameron** : Dawn's closing doors that she's spent so long opening this season. No matter what, I _have_ to be there for her. She was for me. And I'll always appreciate that.

* * *

Duncan, Cameron, Dawn, and Heather (in that order, from left to right) were sitting on their stumps. The latter rested comfortably; a placid smile was etched on her face.

Beth was holding a plate with three marshmallows on it. Her eyes were still puffy and swollen.

Ben, who was beside her, was as tightly bound as ever.

Chris grinned at the final four from behind his oil drum. "Ah, Camp Wawanakwa! So unpredictable! So wild! You'll _never_ know what happens next!"

Heather turned to the other three, her smile changing to a smirk. "Hear, hear!"

"But, just like always, we're here to honor the time-old tradition. The voting ceremony. You all know what to do!"

Heather stood, but the other three stayed put.

Heather looked back at them; her smirk was now a sneer.

"Oh? What are you gonna do? _Conspire_ against me? Fat chance! I've got passage into the final three, and I know that, for _one_ of you, you're finished! _Ha!_ "

She strutted off to the confessionals.

Cameron and Dawn exchanged glances.

"Dawn, listen. No matter who you vote for, I won't blame you. You can even vote for me…if you want…" Cameron said the last words to the ground in front of him.

Dawn looked at him, confused. "Why would I do that?"

"Well, for my safety, you know? You've been so concerned about me all this time, and with a mutated Fang on the loose…I don't blame you for putting me first again."

Duncan stood. "Well, I don't know about you, but I know who I'm voting for. You can say I've _ben_ doing some thinking, ha!"

As he walked over to the confessionals, he amicably clapped Ben's bound shoulder. He mumbled something incoherent in return.

Dawn and Cameron looked at each other.

"Ready?" Cameron asked her.

"Ready."

* * *

 **Heather** : Sooo…I'm spoiled for choice here, huh? Well, Bubble Boy's popularity's down the tubes, Weirdo's emotions are all over the place, and Duncan is, well…*she picks up a piece of photo paper and squeaks an X through it* Jo, regardless of who I vote for, just know that I'm doing this for you. Love you, babe!

 **Duncan** : *he crosses out who he wants gone*

 **Dawn** : *she's sitting down, looking at two pieces of photo paper* On one hand, Cameron's right, he's in great danger here…on the other hand, I _do_ have a penalty vote against me, and that's something I need to consider, too. Question is, do I stop here, or do I continue fighting? *she sighs mournfully*

 **Cameron** : *he crosses out a photo of Heather, showing it to the camera* I know I'm wasting my vote, but I'm a man of my word. Hope you're proud of me, mom.

* * *

"I've got the results of your votes!" Chris said, holding up the photo paper.

"First safe tonight is Heather!"

Heather glared at Beth. "You heard him! Gimme!"

Beth made no movement.

Chris turned to her, glaring. "Come on, we're wasting precious minutes here!"

"Ugh! Do I _have_ to?" Beth said, picking up a marshmallow.

"Uh, _yeah!_ What do you think I'm paying you for!"

"You're not paying us at _all!_ " Beth angrily threw the marshmallow clear over Heather's head.

"Hey!" she snapped at her.

"Oh, sor- _ry!_ It's not like I can't see _anything_ out of these!" Beth angrily tore off her glasses and showed Heather her swollen eyes.

"Ugh, enough already! Next safe is…"

Cameron, Duncan, and Dawn exchanged glances. Cameron and Dawn looked nervous, while Duncan remained quite calm.

"…Dawn!"

Dawn gasped. "What?!"

This marshmallow shot five meters to her left, and Heather caught it.

"Ah! Thank you!" she said and scarfed it down whole.

"Which leaves Duncan and Cameron! Duncan, you're here because, uh…well, honestly, I don't know! You really didn't do anything _too_ heinous today, compared to two other people I know!"

Duncan smirked. "You know it, Chris!"

"…then, there's Cameron! You're here because you're seen as either totally weak, a major threat, or both! Seems like your fellow campers are having some major trouble deciding on which!"

Cameron groaned. "Yeah, rub it in, why don't you…"

"Which is why I'm ecstatic to announce that this final marshmallow…and the third person in the final three… _iiiiiiiiiiisssssssss…_ "

The signature Total Drama theme started up, as was tradition. Cameron gulped and looked nervously at Duncan.

The smile on Chris's face widened. Cameron quickly looked back at Chris.

Duncan just stared at Chris, his expression unchanging.

The music swelled, Chris took a deep breath and…

"…Cameron! Yeah, Duncan, with two votes against, you're outta the game!"

" _YES—_ Ow!" Cameron stood up to cheer, but Beth's shoddy aim meant the final marshmallow met his groin.

Duncan gave a small smile. "Yeah, I figured that'd happen."

* * *

 **Duncan** : *he flips his photo paper over to show an X over himself* Yeah, I admit it! I'm not saying Ben was right. Buuut, in thinking about it, I figured that I'd proooobably get a swelled head over all this! It's bound to happen. Besides, those two little guys there? Deserve the million _way_ more than me.

 **Heather** : Voting for Duncan? Sure, that might've been an odd move. Buuuuut, Blunder Woman saved my skin, and if I voted her _boyfriend_ off? She'd be depressed, there'd be a lot of _crying,_ and there's no way I'd make it past the final three, immunity or not! It's called _strategy,_ people! Besides, Duncan was a major player last season! Heck, he came _back_ at the merge! That should've been _my_ time! _Mine!_

 **Dawn** : …will Cameron understand if he knows I voted for him? It was for his safety!

* * *

"Well, Duncan, your very own throne awaits!"

Duncan gave a small smile to the other three. "Hey, it was fun while it lasted, right?"

Cameron stared at the ground. Dawn didn't say anything. Heather just blew a raspberry.

"Yeah, figured I'd get that kinda response. Oh, hey, Ben?"

The bound-up teen stared at him, making a muffled sound.

"When you get the chance, uh…can you tell Harold I'm sorry I was rude to him? I _meant_ to patch things up with him, but, uh…emotions got the better of me, y'know?"

Ben gave the closest semblance he could to a smile, but his nod was unmistakable.

"Alright, Chris, let's get to it."

Duncan led the way, with Chris and the final three following closely behind him.

The toilet stood, tall and ominous. Duncan had to crack a grin.

"You know, out of all the ways I could've gone, this isn't _so_ bad."

He clambered in, making small splashes as he did. He was soon bobbing up and down in the bowl.

"Yeah, barf breath? What _else_ could've happened?" Heather couldn't hide her smug smirk.

"Well, I could've blown up Chris's mansion…been arrested and sent to actual _jail_ …Mal could've killed me or something. You never know!"

Heather scoffed. "Good to see you're taking this _so_ well."

"Hey, sister, you win some, you lose some!"

"Aaaaand we're outta time!" Chris said, checking his watch. "Later!"

With a _beep,_ the water in the bowl began to churn violently.

"Later, alligator! _Woo-hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!_ " Duncan's whoops of joy echoed, even as the delinquent vanished completely from view.

"And we have our final three!" Chris said, turning to Dawn, Cameron, and Heather.

"Now! One last order of business! We've got one last volunteer trip to Boney Island planned, but I totally understand if none of you really want to go! Given what happened today, I think it's best if we let the Boney Island animals sor—"

"I'll go."

Dawn gasped. Heather raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Cameron, _no!_ " Dawn said, turning him towards her and gently shaking him. "You don't know how dangerous it is there!"

Cameron finally lifted his head up and stared her in the eyes. "I know. But still, I _want_ to go. I need…well, Dawn, I need answers. I need closure. It's what you would've wanted."

Dawn stammered for a bit. "B-but you _have_ your closure! You've settled things with your mom, we're not in a committed relationship, and, well, what else _is_ there?"

"Dawn, while you were risking your life to save all of us, well, I ended up in some sort of animal sanctuary. I want to see what that's like, and I want to help them. It's what you would do, right?"

Dawn's expression flickered between worry and acceptance for several seconds.

"Alright, fine. But I'll go with you! It's like you said, 'we do this, together!'"

"No."

Dawn was at a loss for words. Heather snickered.

"Well, well! Looks like _someone's_ on my page around here! No mating season for you, Pain-iac!"

* * *

 **Heather** : It's high time that _Dawn_ learns something about what it's like to not be around their love interest all the time! *she scoffs* Seriously, their romantic tension is so high, it makes me want to _barf._

* * *

"I need to do this alone, Dawn. Without you. Without _anyone._ "

Chef walked down the dock, jingling the keys to the Boney Island boat.

Dawn was on the verge of tears again. She hiccupped slightly.

"Be careful, Cameron. _I love you._ "

"I know."

With that, Cameron stepped onto the boat, and Chef honked the high-pitched horn for what would be the last time.

"Wait! Cameron!"

Cameron turned back. "Yeah?"

"I'm-I-I'm sorry…that I voted for you…"

Cameron breathed a small sigh, but then smiled.

"You had the best intentions. I forgive you."

At those words, the boat puttered out towards the now-dangerous island. Dawn stared at it until it was out of sight.

Heather, however, was already on her way to her night of luxury.

"And that's a wrap! How will Cameron's derriere fare? How will Dawn deal with Cameron being gone? And will the next challenge be every bit as pulse-pounding as this one? We'll find out on the next thrilling episode of Total…Drama…Heroes vs. Villains!" Chris said, as the cameras cut away.

* * *

(AN: And that is a wrap for this chapter! To be honest, this wasn't _quite_ where I had this all going, but I think it should still be enjoyable enough!

…I mean, hey, it's not sundaes, right?

Speaking of which, I can totally understand if some people don't like this episode. The Fang subplot was something I wasn't initially going to have, and I completely get it if some people think I was reaching a bit to make it all work. Regardless, it is what it is, and I'll continue with the story as it is. Thanks for bearing with me.

Another note of contention: I hope you're not _too_ upset that I changed "let's bash Courtney" to "Let's bash Woodenshy, his self-insert character, Ben (which is my real name, yes, I know), and his creative decisions during Season 1!" Honestly, I keep looking back to the first season, and it's aged poorly. I won't be re-writing it, that's for sure, but I feel like I could've gotten some jabs in. If you didn't like it, I understand, but there's some people who didn't care about the OC. That's mainly for those people. Also, you gotta self-deprecate sometimes, right?

But hey, we're at the final three! Did anyone see this elimination coming? Now that we're here, here's a fun little fact: I initially had Duncan and Ezekiel's elimination order swapped! Yeah, Zeke would've survived with Heather, and Duncan woulda been canned with Jo, and our favorite homeschooled kid would've been getting the boot here! Regardless, I think the order it's in now plays _much_ better towards development and character growth. And given that next season will be with a whole new cast, I gotta give some of these guys closure! We won't be seeing them again for _quite_ some time.

Lastly, I'm sure most of you eagle-eyed viewers and long-time fans of my work can determine who the final two will be. If you don't, just wait and see. I'm sure you'll like it.)

Remaining contestants: Cameron, Dawn, Heather

14th: Anne Maria

13th: Cody (quit)

12th: Brick

11th: Eva

10th: Justin

-merge-

9th: Gwen

8th: Mike/Mal (quit)

7th: Zoey (injury)

6th: Ezekiel (double elimination)

5th: Jo (double elimination)

4th: Duncan

Next Up: Three is a Booty-ful Number

(…now with 100% less bear poop!)


	13. 12: Three is a Booty-ful Number

(AN: It's hard to believe that more than _two_ years ago now, I was starting this. Come to think of it, none of this would have been possible without you, the fans. Thanks so much for being supportive of my work and leaving your reviews. To that one reviewer I can't leave any replies with, you're the best, man. You know who you are. Thank you.)

* * *

 **Chris** : Last time, on a head-banging episode of Total Drama, the final four contestants had to stack up to their lofty title of _head-_ master! Cameron got a little bothered, which most likely _stemmed_ from being separated from Dawn! Heather was a true pain in the pineal, while Duncan was the big man on hippo-campus! After a series of clashes, both physical and psychological, Duncan was the unlucky loser going down the head! Only three remain, and I wouldn't want to be _any_ of them today! What's in store for them? Will they stop being the _butt_ of my puns? The answer to that last question is _no!_ We'll see you right here, right now, on a _booty-_ ful episode of Total…Drama…Heroes vs. Villains!

*cue the theme song*

Episode 12: Three is a Booty-ful Number

* * *

Cameron was staring at the gate to the Fun Zone. Several loud shrieks, grunts, and the sound of voracious chewing emanated from it.

 _Yeah, out of all the places I'm going tonight, that isn't one of them…_

* * *

 **Cameron** : For my last trip to Boney Island, I needed some, well, closure, of a different kind. Also, obviously not getting Fang angry was a good idea. And by "angry", I mean "could easily eat me in one bite." *he shivers and cringes slightly* Mom would be piling on every kind of lawsuit she could if _that_ happened.

* * *

Cameron hurried off towards the pitfall he was trapped in earlier that day. Unfortunately, due to the decreased visibility (not helped by the waning moon), this was more difficult than he had anticipated.

 _Come on, come on! It can't be_ that _far away!_

 _Whump!_

Cameron groaned as he dislodged himself from a tree trunk.

"This is gonna be a _long_ night…"

* * *

 **Cameron** : One major reason I went back was that animal sanctuary. In terms of things I've seen during my time on the show, that's pretty out there. Honestly, I still wonder how long it's been there.

* * *

Dawn stared longingly out the cabin window. It was awfully quiet and lonely.

 _Oh, Cameron,_ please _be careful out there…_

The night was still, and the waters lazily lapped the beach. The moon streamed what light it could over the surroundings.

Dawn glanced at the fireflies, which flickered and wove around the cabins.

 _Oh, if I could send one of these to "communicate" with Cameron, but what's the point?_

She sighed and flopped back onto the lower bunk.

 _Might as well try to get some rest…_

* * *

 **Dawn** : Was sleep difficult to attain? Absolutely. Cameron's the main thing on my mind right now! I know what he said had merit, but…I care about him. A lot. Oh, look at me, rambling on again about how much I like him. *she stares dead-on at the camera* I'm sorry, everyone.

* * *

Heather exhaled happily as she finished consuming her luxury dinner.

 _Look at me. Queen of the world, just how it should be._

* * *

 **Heather** : So, let's see here, I've been _out_ of the loser cabins for so long that I don't even remember what it's like in there! Let's see, ever since, hmm…well…I'd _like_ to say…the gross food-eating challenge. *she glares at the camera* What, I _know_ I didn't get special treatment in the boxing challenge…but that's fine. Jo and I, we spent that time alone. In the woods. *she hisses under her breath* _It was perfect._

* * *

"Butler! A little more chardonnay, _please._ "

The butler immediately came to Heather's side and did as she asked.

"Please consume your alcohol in _moderation,_ ma'am," he said, his stoic face as rigid as ever.

"So? You're not my _mother!_ I made it to the final three, I'm a legal adult, and I _deserve_ the best treatment! Do. You. _Understand me?_ "

The butler quietly blew out air through his nose. " _Crystal._ "

"Thank you."

With that, the butler turned and walked away. Heather looked down at her asparagus.

 _Still…tastes like something's missing…_

* * *

 **Heather** : Yeah…pretty sure we _all_ know what that is. *she sighs* Jo, I know you're watching this. Love you.

* * *

Cameron gulped as he crept along the path, which was barely illuminated by the moonlight.

 _It shouldn't be_ too _far…_

There it was. A large hole that differed from the path he was walking on.

 _Hard to believe that I was here not even twelve hours ago…_

The fancy entrance stood tall over the pitfall. Torches of small flame flickered on either side of it.

 _Fancy…hang on, come to think of it, that pitfall might be a good way to get rid of any unneeded intruders!_

* * *

 **Cameron** : Think about it! Most of those animals can either fly, leap really far, or a combination of both! Add in mutations, and Fang's got the short end of the evolutionary stick. Well, maybe not _now…_ but he did before!

* * *

Cameron carefully stepped around the pit and entered the sanctuary. It was rather well-lit.

Several beavers, geese, and blind gophers were casually walking around.

Sasquatchanakwa, with its arm in a sling, was busy lighting all the unlit torches.

Cameron stared, open-mouthed.

 _I expected a small sanctuary, but_ not _this…_

He looked around. Several areas of the sanctuary were split off from the main hub. There were rudimentary signs at their entryways.

One sign read, in horribly scrawled handwriting, "Nursary." Past it was the nest that Cameron had found himself waking up in not too long ago.

Another sign read "Sacks Rom – Do Knt Entar!" A rather pungent smell emanated from it, and a beaver was doing its best to clean up some unidentifiable liquid.

A squirrel picked up a pair of boxer shorts with the words " _Jo_ " on the waistband. He sniffed it, immediately turned away, and gagged.

Cameron quirked an eyebrow at this.

"Huh!"

A Canada goose turned towards him. Squawking quietly, it grabbed Cameron's wrist by the talons and gently dragged him further in.

"I'm sorry, but, uh…"

He half-walked, half-staggered along, as the goose led him to another segment. The sign read, "Doktar Ber."

Below it, Cameron struggled to make out the words.

"Sik…Suhhhh…wait, is that meant to be 'psychologist?'"

The goose had fluttered off, presumably to take care of her young.

Cameron stared. The bear was sitting in a rickety chair, a doctor's head mirror wrapped around his fuzzy scalp.

The bear patted an uncomfortable-looking couch. He then pulled out a small whiteboard, picked up a large marker, and began to scrawl.

"I'm sorry, buu—"

The bear finished. He turned the whiteboard around. It read "Dunkin."

"Wait, Duncan was here?"

The bear growled softly and nodded, He patted the "couch" again.

Cameron sighed. _Just go with it, Wilkins…_

* * *

 **Cameron** : That *he air quotes* "psychotherapy" session was up there in terms of "strangest moments of my life". Add in the fact that I was talking to someone who could've eaten me easily, and, well…it was nerve-wracking.

* * *

"…should I try astral projection?"

Dawn stared at the empty cabin, save for a few flies buzzing lazily about.

She sighed, looking mournfully down at the crusty cabin floor.

"No…my aura might be powerful, but I _don't_ have that capability…"

No reply.

"…would you like me to control one of you, so you can fly out and talk to him?"

A fly buzzed straight into her forehead. "Ow!"

She groaned. "I figured that would be the appropriate reaction…"

She folded her legs and sat in her usual meditative position.

 _Well, might as well get back to this…_

* * *

 **Dawn** : It's been a while since I've been consistently meditating, hasn't it? Well, you have the Mal fiasco, and you have everything else going on, not to mention Fang and being _this_ close to the million…it slips one's mind!

* * *

"So…there's this girl who's almost, uh, borderline obsessed with me. I mean, I like her too, but…"

The bear rumbled softly, scribbling something down on his clipboard.

"You _might_ know her. Her name's Dawn, and—"

The bear held up a hand. He continued scribbling.

"Oh, sorry, I-I'll let you finish that."

The "room" was quiet for several moments, save for the sounds of rudimentary pencil scratching away on a piece of paper.

"Um…if you can't give me _romantic_ advice, then c-can you tell me about the history of this place?"

The medical bruin slammed its clipboard down, which revealed a crude drawing.

"Hang on, wait, is that Mi—"

The bear roared. Cameron shrunk further into his couch.

"I—I'm sorry, but uh…"

The bear doctor flipped the paper over and started scratching out something else.

"Uh, am I going to get an explanation, ooor—"

The bear shoved the paper in Cameron's hands.

"Wait…that's Fang."

The bear nodded, snorting through its nostrils.

Cameron raised an eyebrow disapprovingly. "Pretty sure I could've put two and two together on _that_ one…"

The bear angrily picked up another sheet of paper and began scribbling furiously. Cameron, in the meantime, flipped the paper he was holding over, looking at the drawn picture of Mike.

 _Hang on…_ wait a minute…

It had finally clicked.

"I _got_ it! Thank you, doc!"

The bear was still drawing, grumbling to himself.

Cameron waited patiently, a smile plastered on his face now.

 _Even if I don't quite get what I need, I at least have some personal answers…_

The doc shoved the new piece of paper in Cameron's hands, then he stood.

As Cameron read, Doctor Bear shoved him out of his "office" and back into the main hub.

"So…looks like Fang got beaten up by Zoey, who…wow, yeah, I can see why that would set him off. Huh!"

* * *

 **Cameron** : Well, turns out I've got my answers! Fang's humiliation at being defeated by someone so physically weak, in this case, Zoey, caused him to start beating up and crushing any animal he could find that night! Yeah, I can _definitely_ see why they'd build a safe zone…having a monster as crazy as that roaming Boney Island would make _anyone_ paranoid.

* * *

"Hey, uh, excuse me…but is it alright if I spent the night here?" Cameron asked the Canada goose, who had exited the nursery.

It nodded, motioning its wing to the nest where the babies were sleeping soundly.

"Thanks! Goodnight!"

With that, Wawanakwa settled down for another quiet night…

* * *

Heather yawned and stretched in her luxurious bed.

 _Ah, another beautiful morning! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and—_

She pressed her face to the window, glaring down at the person walking towards the mess hall.

" _WHO IS THAT AND WHY DOES SHE LOOK LIKE A POTATO?_ "

* * *

 **Staci** : Ya, so Sierra and Chef wanted me here, but Chris _especially._ He even showed me a photo of that shark character, told me "get to work on your freaky voodoo powers!" *she stares down at her half-finished effigy of Fang* What? Results take _time,_ you know!

* * *

" _Morning, final three! Grab some chow and meet me at the docks! We're gonna ramp things up into high gear!_ "

Chef puttered off to get Cameron. Dawn casually opened the loser cabin door, all smiles.

"Good morning, Wawanakwa and all who inhabit it!"

No one replied, but a bird fluttered past, tweeting.

Heather kicked open the door of the spa hotel. "Well, well, looks like my competition's here. So, what'll it be, Nature Lover? The finale, or the toilet?"

"Well, that all depends on the challenge," Dawn said, as the two of them set off for the docks.

Heather rolled her eyes as she finished off her muffin. _Ugh. Amateur._

* * *

 **Heather** : So, final three, huh? Hopefully it's not a truth-or-dare related challenge, or something involving shaving one's head! *she stares at the camera, arms folded* Yeah, I know what happened to Trent! That _also_ wasn't okay!

* * *

The pair arrived at the docks. It creaked and groaned loudly under their weight as they headed towards what appeared to be a table with three treasure chests.

" _Ahoy!_ " Chris said, hopping out from behind the Wawanakwa sign. " _Arrr_ you ready for something wild?"

Heather rolled her eyes. "If I say yes, then will you _shut it?_ "

" _Arrr_ you kidding? Fat chance, ya landlubber!"

Chef puttered up with Cameron in tow. "Well, Chris, gang's all here!"

"And so, they _arrr!_ "

Heather covered her ears. "Do you have any _other_ lame pirate jokes, or are you all washed up?"

"Ha! Good one, Heather! But on a serious note, I might have a few more up my captain's quarters!"

Dawn stared ahead at the three treasure chests. "So, Chris, what are these?"

"Well, before I get to explaining, let me get to some reminiscing. Having spent 12 grueling, challenging days on this island, I started to miss the creature comforts of home! I'm pretty sure you are too!"

Heather shrugged; Cameron stared ahead blankly. Dawn gave him a small smile.

"So, I decided to make you guys hunt for the things that I miss most! Consider it pirate loot!"

* * *

 **Cameron** : Well, if Chris wants the thing that he misses most so badly, he could just tell us to find _him_ _._ His ego's the size of a tractor-trailer!

* * *

"So, Heather, since you won yesterday's challenge, you get to decide on if you want to pick first or not! Up to you!"

Heather rolled her eyes once again. "Fine, let's get this _over_ with."

She opened the chest on the left. A burst of gray powder shot out, along with a piece of paper showing a grinning Chris McLean head on it.

"Aah- _CHOO!_ " Heather sneezed loudly, wiping her nose. "Ugh…"

"Ah, looks like Heather's going to have to search _extra_ carefully to find the legendary Christopher Van Lean painting hidden somewhere on Wawanakwa! Be sure to bring it back totally intact!"

* * *

 **Heather** : Christopher Van Lean? Ugh, his ego puts _Justin's_ to shame!

* * *

"So, since Cameron _didn't_ get a penalty vote last challenge, he's next! And, by proxy, he'll be making Dawn choose the last one!"

Cameron slowly, gently, opened the treasure chest on the right. He gingerly stuck his hand in.

From within, a loud _snap_ was heard, and Cameron screamed.

He retracted his hand quickly, revealing a snapping turtle gnawing on it. Furthermore, a piece of paper shot from the chest, revealing a golden Chris statue.

"Ah! The original lost Golden McLean statuette! _Also_ hidden somewhere on Wawanakwa!"

Cameron successfully yanked the turtle from his hand before throwing it in the water. He wrung out his hand, which was pulsing red, and swollen.

" _Great._ Guess I'm not getting any hints as to where _that_ is."

"Nope! If I _did,_ then it wouldn't be lost, would it?"

Cameron sighed. "Can't argue with that…"

"Which leaves Dawn with the most difficult one of all! Which, truth be told, we wouldn't have it any other way!"

Dawn tenderly opened the middle chest and peered inside. She yelped slightly and backed away as a boxing glove sprang out, a picture of a cut of diamond taped to it.

"Yup! The McLean diamond, which is located by an abandoned ship we found in a junkyard! No promises on if it stays afloat!

"Worst of all, everyone's favorite mutated shark, Fang, is guarding it!"

Dawn gasped. "B-but that's not fair!"

"Hey! There's no _fair_ in _pirate!_ "

* * *

 **Dawn** : In hindsight, maybe Chris wanted me to go after Fang all along. *she sighs* That's fair. I _was_ the one who made him like that in the first place…and I _will_ get him out of it!

* * *

"Anywho, we're keeping things simple! First contestant to find and bring their loot back to the dock wins immunity, which means they will automatically be in the finale!"

Everyone gasped. "But, what about the other two?" Cameron asked.

"Standard voting procedures apply! Think it's the first time that's happened at this point on this show!" Chris was all smiles.

"Huh…first, Trent starved himself, and Sam got auto-eliminated…yeah, you're right!" Cameron said. "Well, how about that?"

Heather glared at Cameron and Dawn. "Well, _I'll_ be sure that _two_ weaklings won't get to be in a 'friendship finale', how's _that_ sound?"

Both shrugged at her.

"As for your challenge helper, she's going to be a _little_ more concentrated on Dawn's portion of the challenge! You all know why."

Dawn gulped slightly. "So…I have to _protect_ everyone else on the island from Fang's rampage?"

"Sure! Call it 'first line of defense!'"

Everyone, even Heather, gasped.

* * *

 **Cameron** : That's _cold,_ McLean. Even for you! You'd let a camper _die?!_

* * *

"Anywho…let's get st- _arrrr-_ ted!" Chris blew the airhorn, and the three campers took off.

Cameron and Heather turned towards the buildings on the campgrounds, while Dawn set off for the beach.

"I'll, um, I'll see you later!" she said, turning back and giving Cameron the semblance of a brave smile.

Cameron noticed, however, that Dawn's face had paled more than usual.

* * *

 **Cameron** : I'd love to help Dawn, but, uh…what could I _do?_ Mal was one thing, Fang's in a totally different class!

* * *

Dawn stared up at the decrepit ship, which bobbed up and down in the water.

A powerful aura was emanating from it.

 _Well…this is it._

* * *

 **Dawn** : The most surprising element to all this is _how_ Chris and Chef got Fang to cooperate for the challenge! Perhaps they used… _no!_

* * *

Dawn slowly crept into the ship (from a hole in the stern), shivering slightly as the rotting wood creaked and groaned under her.

 _Of_ course _Chris and Chef would coax Fang here with the possibility of a rematch with me. He knows what I taste like,_ and _he knows about my excess aura..._

She gulped. Her aura slowly grew, to the point where it lit up the dark below-deck areas of the ship.

Several shafts of light from above were Dawn's guide to heading abovedeck.

 _Ready or not…_

* * *

 **Dawn** : If yesterday was any indication, today's going to be _extremely_ difficult…

* * *

Cameron took a look around in the loser cabins, just in case a Golden Chris statuette could be there.

 _Nope, nothing in here!_

He hurried out and headed for the mess hall. Maybe he would have better luck there…

Several fruitless minutes later, Cameron exited.

"Hmm, if I were a lost Golden Chris statuette, where would I be hiding?"

He sat down on the mess hall steps, rubbing his lower lip. His forehead scrunched up in concentration.

 _He_ said _it was lost…I'm certain the spa hotel wouldn't have it…don't remember seeing it_ there _…hmm…wait…_

"I got it!"

* * *

 **Cameron** : It's the only place I can conceivably think of! Unfortunately, going back will be _quite_ a challenge…

* * *

Cameron stared at the mineshaft entrance. It was as dark and as ominous as ever.

 _So, Chris, this_ could _be where it is, huh?_

He walked away from the main entrance, looking around at the surrounding area.

"Hmm, Chef's digging spot should be _riiiiight_ around here somewhere…"

He absentmindedly kicked a rough patch of dirt. He gasped as the earth around it sank slightly.

" _Yes!_ "

* * *

 **Cameron** : That…was the _easy_ part.

* * *

Cameron hurried off to find a shovel. He had a lot of digging to do.

Heather, in the meantime, scowled as she examined Chris and Chef's personal abode.

"Ew! _So many_ portraits of Chris and Chef _getting it on!_ "

She passed their bedroom and recoiled slightly at the smell.

"Ugh! It smells like _sex_ in there!"

She walked onwards. No Christopher Van Lean painting could be seen anywhere.

"Ugh…fine, guess this was _too easy_ …now, where _else_ could I find a piece of priceless art?"

She exited the host's home and sat down on the front steps.

"Come on, come on, _think!_ You don't want to lose to two _weaklings_ , do you?"

* * *

 **Heather** : If I were Chris and I wanted to hide some priceless painting…I'd hide it in the hardest-to-find spot that I could _think_ of. Which…which is… _rrrrrrgh!_ I'm drawing a _blank!_

* * *

Dawn winced as the stairs heading to the deck of the ship creaked ominously underfoot.

 _He has to be here somewhere. I know it!_

She gulped as she arrived abovedeck. Her breath trembled slightly, and her legs shook.

"This is no time to be afraid, Dawn…you know your fears, and you conquered them!"

A soft growl emanated from slightly above her. Dawn looked back, glaring.

There Fang was, situated at the top of the ship. He was greedily licking the McLean diamond.

"W-wait! Sto—"

Fang, who wasn't even listening anymore, swallowed the diamond whole.

" _NO!_ "

* * *

 **Dawn** : Unless I can get it _back,_ my chances of immunity are _ruined!_ Unless, well, Cameron gets it…or Heather decides to be kind for a change…*she groans*

* * *

Several tendrils shot out of Dawn's aura, which flared further out.

"Right…if you took my aura before…then I'll take it _back!_ "

She shot up and forwards, with a powerful burst of aura. The deck she was standing on shattered easily under the pressure.

She had launched herself straight at Fang, who stared keenly at her, grinning.

Her tendrils shot out and bound Fang's arms, similar to how she did previously. She gritted her teeth.

 _I need to embed these in his body if I stand any sort of a chance!_

* * *

 **Dawn** : It's going to take everything I've ever learned to have even a _chance_ at subduing Fang! This…this will be difficult.

* * *

Fang glared as Dawn struggled to break through his incredibly tough skin.

" _Nnnnnnnn…_ "

Dawn strained, trying as hard as she could to get control over Fang again, but to no avail.

Fang sighed and snapped free of Dawn's bonds. His aura coursed throughout his body.

Dawn shot upwards, shattering the boards below her. She wove through what remained of the mast, gently landing on the splintered tip.

"Well, seems like we've exhausted the _passive_ options…"

The mast teetered dangerously before falling. Dawn gasped slightly before forming her tendril wings. She slowly flapped them and remained in the air as the mast shrank underfoot.

She gulped and stared down at Fang, who was ravenously devouring her former perch.

 _I have no other choice…_

Her wings shrunk slightly as several tendrils shot out of them. With a concentrated effort, they began to form clenched fists, which extended far beyond Dawn's maximum reach.

Dawn gulped and stared down at the hungry shark.

"I'm sorry…but you leave me with no other choice."

With that, she hurtled downwards and cocked one of her fists, ready to strike.

* * *

Heather jumped slightly as she heard a loud crash from the beach.

"Well, that's _one_ way to break me out of a stupor!"

She stared down at the ground and kicked a lone rock.

"Come _on!_ Where would he hide a piece of priceless art? Playa des Losers? No, no, that's not good enough for him, unless…un… _wait…_ "

She stood, slamming a fist on her open hand.

"Why not? Who knows, it _could_ be something else by now."

* * *

 **Heather** : Let's be real here, Chris hasn't mentioned the Playa at _all_ this season! Makes one wonder, doesn't it?

* * *

Cameron grunted and groaned as he dug, slowly but surely, into the remains of the mineshaft. He wiped his forehead, which was drenched in sweat.

 _I know Dawn would love to help me if she could, but…_

A rather faint _crash_ sounded.

 _Yeah, sheee's got her hands full right now…_

* * *

Dawn, indeed, had her hands full, tendrils or otherwise. She was struggling to restrain Fang to the best of her ability.

Unfortunately for her, Fang's auras combined with radiation and a voracious appetite caused her to lose the battle of grips.

Dawn darted upwards as Fang chomped the air where she was a moment prior. He growled quietly, wheezing as he struggled to catch his breath.

Dawn quirked her eyebrow as she saw Fang stagger slightly.

 _Odd. I didn't hit him_ that _hard…did I?_

Fang roared slightly before gnawing off a large hunk of the ship's side. Dawn stared as he chomped it down greedily.

 _Wait…_ wait!

* * *

 **Dawn** : Of _course!_ Fang's biological processes, like metabolism, are increased tremendously when such a large amount of aura is used! Add in the radiation turning my small amount of aura into something truly terrifying and, well…eventually he'll starve. *she winces slightly* I…I need to find another way to get that aura out of him…

* * *

Fang leapt up at Dawn, who punched him back into the ship. Fang bore straight through the bottom of the ship, which immediately filled up with water and sank.

 _Guess_ that _prop didn't last too long…_

Several bubbles churned up from where the boat once was. Dawn sighed.

"Yes, yes, you can eat…but it won't change anything! You're still starving and, well, you'll eventually succumb to it!"

"Um, can you make sure he _resurfaces,_ please? I need to get the details on his face!"

Dawn flinched slightly but stared out at the beach. A somewhat familiar head was peering out from behind a large rock.

"Oh! Hello, Staci! Chris _did_ say you were going to help me!"

* * *

 **Staci** : With _what?_ All Chris gave me was a tranq gun…*she holds up a small pop gun* and some blue fabric, as well as things to stitch it together! *she stares at the camera mournfully* I can't make any promises that this'll work…never _really_ tried it with animals before, much less mutated ones…

* * *

The unmistakable roar of an outboard motor sounded nearby. Staci looked over and gasped.

"Who's going out _there_ at this time of day?"

Heather cackled as she opened the throttle of the motorboat.

"Victory is _mine!_ "

* * *

 **Heather** : Special thanks goes to Zoey, who _didn't_ wreck a boat unlike a _certain_ delinquent I knew!

* * *

Cameron was getting deeper every minute he shoveled. The sunlight had vanished above; it was getting more and more difficult to see.

"Honestly, I _might_ need to get out of here…was it worth it?"

A loud shriek underground was his reply.

"I'm sorry, but I thought this place was abandon—"

A rumbling sounded from right below him. Cameron yelled as the ground gave way, dropping him off in a tunnel half his size.

Cameron blinked; the darkness was absolute here.

"H-hello?"

Another loud screech came from behind him, followed by rumbling.

Cameron couldn't dodge it.

He yelled again as he was dragged off by a blind, hairless gopher. As to where he was going, he couldn't be sure…

* * *

 **Cameron** : I didn't know they still _lived_ here!

* * *

Heather puttered to a stop at the former home for the losing contestants.

Now, however, it had changed. Gone were the poolside bar and several rows of lounge chairs that were reserved for the Season 1 contestants.

In its place was a plaque and two rather comfortable-looking, fully-functional massage chairs.

Heather glared as she read the plaque.

"' _New home of the McLean Brand Cottage, where Chris McLean and his faithful sidekick slash boyfriend, Chef Hatchet (real name: Ward Enn) exfoliate their every sense and enjoy top-notch food! Closed during the summer seasons.'"_

She snapped up at the luxurious mansion, which was once large enough to hold 20 of them quite comfortably.

" _THIS-IS-NOT-A-COTT—AAAGH!_ "

She angrily kicked the plaque, before screeching in pain, clutching her badly stubbed toe.

* * *

 **Heather** : Besides! What kind of a name is _Ward?_ The only person I can _think_ of having a name like that would be a large man, holding a harpoon, who can barely _speak!_ Ugh, my brother has _so_ many copies of his trading card! …nerd.

* * *

Several alarms went off at once, and a laser barrier blocked the entrance to the front door.

" _Warning. Warning. Unidentified intruder detected._ "

Heather sighed as several laser sights were peppered all over her body.

"Knowing _Chris,_ I _should've_ seen this coming."

She shrieked and jumped back into the boat as several artillery shots fired at her previous location.

"What _kind_ of freaky reality show _is_ this?!"

* * *

Back on the island, Chris felt a buzzing sensation in his pocket.

"Well, looks like Heather's arrived at…"

He pulled the phone out of his pocket. It read _Intruder detected – McLean Cottage._

"Yup! That's _exactly_ where I would've hidden such a priceless artifact!"

Chef stared at him. "That's crazy, Chris! Look at all the defense mechanisms!"

"Which she _wouldn't_ have set off had she decided not to touch my personal property… _Ward!_ "

Chef's eyes narrowed and his voice lowered to a hiss.

" _We both agreed never to use that na—_ "

"Sure! Sure! My bad!"

* * *

 **Chef** : Chris is gettin' _way_ too egotistical 'n depraved for his own good! Seriously, who calls me _Ward_ after I mentioned that I didn' want to be called that? *he growls and rolls his eyes*

* * *

Fang had resurfaced. Staci, seizing an opportunity, began finishing up the details of his voodoo appearance.

"Listen, Staci, I'll keep him distracted if you want to finish that design," Dawn said, quietly floating back out towards the sea.

"I mean, if you want to?"

"All I need to do is keep him out of the water…which, in hindsight, shouldn't be _too_ difficult…"

She was right; Fang snarled as he exited the sea. His drool hissed as it fell on the beach sands.

Staci quickly nodded and doubled her pace.

Dawn launched forward, creating a small burst, and aimed for Fang's stomach.

Fang growled and caught both of her aura hands in his.

Both were caught in a deadlock.

Staci stared at the struggle for a moment and gave a small smile.

 _Perfect!_

* * *

 **Staci** : It was now or never! It's not like the whole fate of the island hung in the balance over this, right? _Right?_

* * *

"Done!" Staci triumphantly held her Fang voodoo close and punched its head as hard as she could.

" _OW!_ " She recoiled sharply, waving her throbbing hand in the air.

 _Well, it_ works, _but, uh…what's going on here?_

"Can…I let…go now?"

"Well, ya, bu—"

Dawn finally gave Fang some leeway to push, and he did.

Extremely hard.

Staci gasped as Dawn slid, extremely quickly, into the hill overlooking the beach.

"No… _way!_ "

"Yes! I'm sorry, but _this_ is why Chris wanted you around!"

With a small _pop_ , Dawn burst out of the hillside. She was smudged in dirt and her hair was slightly straggled and worn.

 _Let's see…if I were someone who wanted to stop a shark, how would I go about it?_

She barely had time to think. Fang was lunging towards her, mouth wide open.

Dawn propelled herself upward as Fang's mouth was met with dirt and grass. He ate, hungrily, until he realized what he was eating.

Dawn winced as Fang regurgitated most of what he had previously eaten. Then, she saw it.

A glint.

She dove for the McLean diamond immediately, swiping it with her tendril hand.

"Staci! Take this! I need to—"

Whatever Dawn was about to say was immediately halted by Fang slamming her hard upside the head.

Staci's eyes widened as she saw Dawn crashing through several trees, with Fang hot on her heels.

However, something green and round was bouncing towards her…

It was the McLean diamond, slightly worn around the edges but still intact. It was bound tightly in a semi-transparent aura ball.

"That's _probably_ to prevent any radiation from leaking out…" Staci murmured. "You really do think of everything, Dawn…"

She stared at the wreckage and gulped.

"Now, I'm more worried about _you_."

* * *

Cameron groaned, his vision hazy. He blinked several times, adjusting to the low light—

 _Wait, there's light here? I thought I was submerged in complete darkness!_

He shook his head, clearing his hazy vision. He looked around.

He was in a large gopher nest, with several blind gophers surrounding him. Their loud snores rang throughout the area.

Cameron gulped. "N-nice gophers… _nice gophers…_ "

He looked around as best he could. The gophers were resting on some hay, grass, and other assorted knick-knacks.

 _Wait, could it be here?_

He started to sort through the hay, seeing if he could find anything, until—

Cameron screamed as he fell, headfirst, through a deep hole. He kept falling and falling until—

 _CRASH._

Cameron groaned and opened his eyes once more. Several miscellaneous objects clattered and clanked around him as they exited the hole he fell out of.

"What…what _is_ this?"

Train tracks criss-crossed a large room, with a large throne at its end. It was covered in old, discarded objects, some with several years' worth of dust on them.

On the top of the large throne was a rather ornate golden statuette.

Cameron rubbed his eyes, making sure he didn't mistake what he saw.

 _Hold on…_

He walked closer, kicking aside lipstick tops and makeup brushes as he did so.

" _There it is!_ "

Upon closer inspection, the statuette looked like a rather smug host that he knew and wasn't a fan of.

Cameron hopped up and snatched it.

"Yes! Now, to get out of he—"

A series of loud screeches and _thuds_ sounded from behind him.

Cameron gulped.

His sleeping companions had noticed that their newest prize had slipped out of their grasp.

* * *

 **Cameron** : Seems like those gophers have heightened auditory capabilities so that they can hear their prey as opposed to seeing them! I _bet_ they have a heightened sense of smell, too! It'd be fascinating if it weren't, well, horrifying!

* * *

Heather, still in her safe spot, weighed her options.

"Well, looks like I can't get in the front way…either I sneak in around the _back_ or…hmmm…"

She sat down, thinking.

 _Honestly, if I had my vibrator, I'd be able to use it as a decoy, but_ obviously, _I left it at the hotel!_

She peered up so that the top part of her head was looking at the "cottage".

She stared up towards the upper floors.

"Hang on here…"

A security camera was swiveling around, searching for any intruders.

"Well, that _could_ be a viable target…"

She stared down at her surroundings. Several small rocks littered the shoreline.

She picked one up, stood, and faced the McLean Cottage.

" _This…_ is a gamble."

* * *

 **Heather** : If this doesn't work, I'm _dead!_ If not from the _bullets,_ then I'm completely screwed from getting into the finale! You see how buddy-buddy Cameron and Dawn are! Their "friendship finale" _will_ not happen! I will _assure_ you that!

* * *

Heather gently tossed the rock in her hand, getting accustomed to the weight and feel of it.

 _Now or never!_

She threw the rock as hard as she could.

* * *

Dawn's vision was blurry, but she quickly shook her head to regain it.

 _Nnnngh…what happened?_

Her answer was charging straight at her. Dawn yelped slightly.

Fang's mouth was wide open, his teeth on full display. He was ready to sink them deep into her.

 _No…I_ won't _let you do this! I_ must _free you from your torment!_

Dawn's tendril hands unclenched themselves and they gripped the trunk of a rather large tree.

" _Rrrrrgh…nyaaaaagh…_ "

Fang was getting closer…closer…

 _Plink! Plink! Plink!_

Several tranquilizer darts harmlessly bounced off Fang's thick hide. His advance halted and he sharply turned his head towards the source.

Staci, hands trembling, dropped the tranq gun. "N…nice s-shark…"

Fang roared, long and loud. The roar reverberated around the area, causing the sea water to turn into a huge wave heading away from shore. Several rocks and a plethora of sand were blown away.

Dawn stared at him. Her teeth were clenched, and her temples pounded with effort.

 _I must do this! No turning back!_

With a mighty roar and a great heave, Dawn picked up the large tree. Her aura spread along it, until it was radiating a steady pale-green light.

Fang noticed this occurring out of the corner of his eye. He turned back towards Dawn.

His maw opened wide, and he lunged.

Dawn swung as hard as she could.

* * *

Cameron was chucking every conceivable object, sans the statuette, at the blind gophers as hard as he could.

They harmlessly bounced off their unnaturally thick hides. Some screeched at him.

Cameron opened his eyes, sweating. "I better run…"

He looked around.

"Right! The train tracks! That'll lead me out…somewhere!"

He sprinted for them as fast as he could. The screaming gophers were right on his tail.

Cameron winced as he got on the tracks; they were buckling under even his light weight.

"Don't look down… _don't look down…_ "

He hurried along as fast as he could. Several bucks and bolts meant that some of the gophers had smelled him and had hopped on the tracks, too.

He craned his eyes ahead, looking to see if there was anything…

"A minecart!"

It was solitary and still, caked with years' worth of rust. However, it was perched near a downward slope, which then sloped upward to a small cavern entrance.

 _Well…it's as good a time as any!_

Thankfully, the cart was still able to move. Cameron hopped aboard as it squeaked and rattled along the tracks.

Cameron's stomach lurched as he reached the part of the track that leveled out right before it started sloping upwards.

"Come on, _come on…_ "

The cart was starting to slow, but the cavern was just ahead…

* * *

 _CRACK._

Heather's rock hit the security camera dead-on, causing it to spark before exploding. The turrets powered down, and the laser gate disappeared.

Dawn's log bat hit Fang square in the face. He went flying, his mouth lopsided and askew.

Cameron's tracks snapped.

His stomach dropped shortly after the minecart.

" _OH…MY…GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!_ "

* * *

 **Cameron** : And my life flashed before my eyes! It was…rather monotonous.

* * *

Cameron screamed as he leapt out of the minecart and clung, rather treacherously, to the decaying rail tie.

He refused to look as the minecart went down, down…down…down… _down…_

He never heard any sound of impact.

* * *

 **Cameron** : In hindsight, I _think_ Chris was wrong about the deepest part of the mineshaft. Unfortunately, the _real_ deepest part is a bottomless pit. Try to explain seven dead competitors to parents, the authorities, _and_ the producers!

* * *

Cameron grunted as he slowly clambered up, clutching to his precious cargo as he did so.

He got up, trembling…or was that the rickety track? He wasn't sure anymore.

Several loud screeches behind him interrupted his train of thought.

He daren't turn around.

The only way to go was forward.

Cameron sprinted, upwards and onwards, into the cavern. It was narrow but widened the further he went inside.

He was, slowly but surely, heading further and further upwards.

"Right…right…now what?"

He was sweating again, gasping for breath.

"Come on, come _on,_ the way out _has_ to be he—"

 _WHUMP._

Cameron's journey had ended, painfully. He had run into a literal wall of large rocks, caused by a cave-in. He could go no further.

He gulped nervously as he heard noises behind him.

Several loud, screechy ones.

"Oh… _noooooo…_ "

* * *

 **Cameron** : Well, I _guess_ it's time to write up my will…*he starts scribbling on a piece of paper* I, Cameron Corduroy Wilkins…huh. What possessions _do_ I own?

* * *

Dawn dropped the remains of the tree to the ground rather forcefully. Her breathing was ragged and her whole body was trembling with the effort to lift it.

Staci whistled as she saw Fang ricochet off the foot of the 100-foot high cliff, and splash into the diving ring.

" _That…_ was wicked."

Dawn mustered up whatever strength she could and took to the sky again.

"Staci, _go to Chris._ I'm not done here."

Staci turned around to stare at Dawn. The expression of incredulity on her face was unmistakable.

"Dawn, are you _crazy?_ You have your reward, you took out Fang, now _get your immunity!_ "

"I know, but…I created this monstrosity in the first place."

Staci gulped. "Really?"

"Yes. His monstrous aura was because of me. I tried to help ease his mind and he, well…he took advantage of it."

Staci stared down at the transparent orb, which was glowing a gentle green.

"Are you sure this is safe?"

"Positive. The way it's configured, that aura should be peacefully co-existing with that radiation."

Staci sighed. "Doesn't make _sense,_ but okay!"

As she hurried off towards the docks, Dawn gently floated out towards the cliffside.

"Chris! _ChrisChrisChrisChrisChris!_ "

Chris groaned as he heard that somewhat shrill, annoying voice enter his ears.

" _Jeez,_ Staci! Could've signaled your intentions a _little_ less annoyingly! What do you _want?_ "

"Okay, so like, ya, I have the reward!"

Staci held up the orb. Chris stared at it.

"Yeah, that's the McLean diamond, but is your name Dawn, perchance?"

"…Well, no, but—"

"Up, up, up! If your name's _not_ Dawn, then I don't really care! When I said, "first contestant", I _meant_ "first contestant!

"Besides, aren't you supposed to be _stopping_ Fang's rampage, _helper?_ "

"Oh! But I have, yah!"

Staci pulled out her voodoo of Fang and her tranq gun, dropping the orb in the process. She aimed the gun right at Fang's forehead and pulled the trigger.

The tranq dart bounced off his forehead and lodged itself right in Staci's.

She was soon out like a light.

Chris sighed as he gently kicked Staci, who was snoring loudly.

"Ugh, we could've picked _anybody_ else for this, but apparently there's a 'no-repeats' clause in the helper/hinderer rules!"

* * *

 **Chris** : I _totally_ wanted to have B back, but he was _completely_ wasted in the first episode! Gah!

* * *

Dawn slowly floated over the ring of buoys, looking for any sign (aura or otherwise) of the mutated shark.

She gasped as she heard the rocks behind her give way and start to collapse.

She gasped again as a hand gripped her ankle and dragged her into the water.

* * *

 **Dawn** : Underwater combat with Fang? _Not_ what I wanted, whatsoever. If he's tough enough on land, he's…10 times more powerful in the water, easily!

* * *

Heather gently opened the door to the luxurious McLean residence.

 _Right…now to search…_ carefully…

The "cottage" was opulent and lavishly decorated. Several busts of Chris were perched carefully on ornate Corinthian columns. Several immaculate-looking paintings were adorned on the walls.

Heather looked around.

"Yeah, I think _breaking_ something here…is a bad idea."

* * *

 **Heather** : Never mind the alarms going off again, breaking _something_ here will destroy Chris's ego! Huh…on second thought…

* * *

Heather took great care to snake around every Chris bust and to avoid brushing against any painting she saw. She made sure to carefully examine the placards on each one, to identify the artist.

"McLean-ault…Pi-Chris-so…Mon-Lean…Man-Lean? What _kind_ of self-absorbed _twit_ would _ever_ have paintings like this?"

A Chris bust grinned at her, its features etched on the finest marble money could buy.

Heather scowled at it. "I didn't ask _you!_ "

She continued to sneak around the home, examining paintings as she went. She eventually ended up in a large parlor, complete with mantel and an extremely plushy couch. Another painting was hung over the mantelpiece.

"Am I allowed to _sit_ in that? My feet are _killing_ me!"

They were; the former spa hotel wasn't shrunk down to accommodate the lesser amount of people living within. As a result, searching every nook and cranny was a daunting task.

Heather made to sit down on the couch, but the painting caught her eye.

It was large, gaudy, and depicted an angelic Chris spreading love and warmth to unidentifiable, but lesser, people.

The placard next to it read _Christopher Van Lean. Price: $5 million._

Heather's heart might as well have leapt to her throat.

* * *

 **Heather** : Five _million?!_ And he wants it _intact?_ If any, _any,_ gunfire gets on that painting, I. Am. _DEAD._

* * *

Hands trembling, Heather shakily grabbed the Van Lean painting. She gulped.

 _No other choice now, I suppose…_

She successfully pried it off, shaking slightly with the effort of moving it.

As if on cue, several loud alarms went off. Heather's eyes widened as she noticed that several passageways and corridors were slowly being blocked off.

" _WHAT KIND OF SECURITY SYSTEM IS THIS, CHRIS?!_ "

* * *

Chris stared at his phone, which was violently buzzing again.

"Well, well! Guess she took it! Now, she _just_ has to escape the cottage and bring that painting back intact! How much you wanna bet she'll succeed in _that_ endeavor?"

The only sounds that could be heard were Staci's loud snores.

"Hey! It's worth more than you'll ever be!" Chris said, smirking at her sleeping body.

* * *

Cameron gulped as the screeching gophers grew closer and closer to his body.

 _Honestly, my biggest question, when faced with potential death, is_ how _were they able to cross that broken bit of track?_

He noticed a small pebble by his shoe. He kicked it.

The pebble clattered against the wall before ricocheting off, back the way they came. Several gophers pricked their ears up at the noise. Some began to turn around, following it.

Cameron's eyes narrowed slightly, and he pursed his lips in thought.

"Hang on… _I got it!_ "

He stared at the rocks impeding his way. This was it.

He slammed hard against the rocks, making sure to make a loud grunting noise as he did so. He looked back.

Several of the gophers (at least, those that didn't turn around) pricked their ears in his direction. They were smelling the air voraciously.

Cameron gave a small smile. He then cleared his throat.

"AAAAH! THEY'RE AFTER ME! I CAN'T GO ON! HEEEELP!"

This did the trick: the gophers squealed and ran right for him. Cameron silently stood to the side as they slammed against the rock.

He watched, transfixed, as they shook their heads, screeched once again, and began biting straight through the rocky wall.

Cameron gasped in awe, but his task wasn't over yet. He quickly tore off his hoodie and made sure to closely follow them, dangling the hoodie near their heads as they gnawed and crunched up the solid rock.

* * *

 **Cameron** : In hindsight, I should've done that sooner! I had to make sure that I was still able to be smelled from in front of them, or else my plan would have been for nothing! As for their incisors being able to tear through hard rock, well, those tunnels had to be made _somehow,_ right?

* * *

Several other paths that the blind gophers had previously dug began to converge, and Cameron soon noticed that the rocks were growing less and less plentiful the more paths met up.

With one last effort, the last of the rocks gave way. The gophers screeched, then immediately scattered off to other paths.

Cameron knew why as soon as they had cleared.

The hot summer sun shone just ahead. He was free.

" _YES!_ "

Cameron sprinted out of the mineshaft through a tunnel that was just above the dumbwaiter entrance that had marked Justin's home for so long.

"Perfect! Now, for the docks!"

* * *

 **Cameron** : Making it to the finale? Perfect way to end the day! Yes!

* * *

Heather shrieked as she slid under the heavy metal doors that were slowly blocking off any passage to the outside world.

"Okay, okay, okay, um… _um…_ "

A large window leading to the outside world stood before her. Heather stared at it and gulped.

"I am going to _freaking_ die now…"

With a loud scream, Heather (who used the back of the painting to shield herself from any breaking glass, as well as to protect the front from any shrapnel) broke through and sprinted off.

The turrets were back online, shooting any and every type of bullet in its arsenal. Heather yelped as she danced and darted around their fire.

The motorboat was just ahead! Heather jumped. It was all or nothing now.

With a loud _bang,_ Heather had successfully landed (albeit belly-first) into the motorboat. She gritted her teeth as she opened the throttle fully.

"Right. To the docks!"

* * *

 **Heather** : If _this_ doesn't get me to the finale, nothing will!

* * *

Dawn was struggling to catch her breath. Fang's hand was still gripping her ankle tightly.

His other sunk deep into her stomach, which careened her into the cliff. Dawn let out a massive jet of bubbles, interspersed with some misty blood.

This turned out to be a grave mistake.

Fang sniffed the blood in the water. His green eyes narrowed and became bloodshot. His hand let go of Dawn's ankle as he fumbled with his broken jaw, trying to set it back into position.

This was the only opportunity Dawn needed. With a burst of aura, as well as every ounce of strength and will she had, she shot up.

She soon had emerged from the water but couldn't stop her ascent. Not until she had reached the top of the cliff.

Panting and gasping for breath, she looked down. Fang was swiftly climbing up the cliffside, his jaw fixed, and his eyes fixated right on her.

 _Right…I_ must _make some sort of a mark on him!_

* * *

 **Dawn** : If I could rely on anything besides Mother Earth, well, it would have to be gravity! I know about terminal velocity, and, well, that's the only chance I have left!

* * *

Dawn shot up once again, but her wings began to slowly shrink in size.

Her hands, however, were growing larger. They converged into a single point.

Dawn was positioned right where she needed to be. Her wings disappeared and she dove, head-first, towards the cliff.

 _Hang on…I need to bore through the cliff to get to him!_

What was left of Dawn's aura began to rotate her and her large drill. Faster and faster they went, plummeting towards the top of the cliff.

 _CRACK._

Dawn had successfully broken through. Several layers of rock and rubble were crashing around her, but she couldn't be bothered.

Her target was just ahead.

The force of Dawn's drill shoved rock out of the cliff as well, causing them to drop onto Fang's head. He stared at the foe that he could barely see.

Unfortunately for him, it was here that he lost his grip.

Dawn felt his aura dropping down towards the water. This was her only chance.

She broke free from the cliffside, straining to get any more speed to catch up with her foe.

Thankfully for her, he wasn't too far away.

As the famed Wawanakwa cliff crashed and collapsed behind her, Dawn sunk her drill into Fang's stomach as hard as she could.

Her efforts, sadly, were somewhat less than she had anticipated.

She felt his thick skin give slightly, and she sunk in.

A fleck of blood flew onto her cheek.

 _This is i—_

Before she could do anything else, both her and Fang collided, hard, with the water below.

* * *

Cameron was running towards the docks with all of his speed. He gasped as he saw Heather speeding along towards the docks as well, albeit from the opposite direction, and by motorboat.

" _CHRIS! CATCH!_ "

He hurled the Golden McLean statuette as hard as he could at Chris, who caught it in his hands.

"Well, looks like Cameron's got a spot in the finale! Aww, don't feel bad, Heather! I wouldn't have accepted that painting anyways!"

Heather had just motored up alongside Chris, painting in hand. "I'm sorry, but _wh—_ "

"See those crushed parts of the painting from when _someone_ landed forcefully on it when she jumped into the motorboat? Yeah, that's _not_ intact, missy!"

Heather stared at the painting. "B—but, b—"

"Heather…do you know what I'm going to do to this?"

"…No?"

Chris seized the painting and immediately chucked it into the water.

"Yeah! I've got _thousands_ of copies of those! Price tag was just to attract suckers who wanted to buy it _and_ the horribly paranoid!

"Hey, Chef! I _think_ it's time you settled that Dawn/Fang feud! Pretty sure I heard the collapsing of a certain landmark we all know all too well!"

Chef nodded and walked off, his bazooka in hand.

* * *

Dawn had immediately resurfaced. She spat out some water, ignoring the cacophony of crashes emanating from behind her.

"I _need_ you to resurface, Fang! I _must_ get this aura ou—"

" _HEY, CRAZY CHICK! BETTER START FLYIN'!_ "

Dawn immediately obeyed Chef, who had his bazooka cocked and ready to fire.

He waited patiently, even as Dawn touched down next to him.

"So, Chef, what _are_ you going to do he—"

Chef growled as he saw Fang resurface, too.

" _Puttin' him to sleep._ "

As the shark noticed Dawn on the shoreline and emerged further to continue the fight, Chef fired.

A large tranquilizer dart lodged itself in Fang's temple. His eyes closed, and almost at once, he began to snore loudly.

"Yeah…your _boyfriend's_ won immunity, so…might as well head to the mess hall. Last dinner you might have!"

Dawn gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Chef, but I know that Cameron's got my best interests at heart."

* * *

 **Dawn** : I _have_ to stay here! My last step, clean Fang's aura out of his system, cannot happen if I'm left at home!

* * *

Cameron was waiting for Dawn at the mess hall. His smile, however, turned to a grimace.

"Dawn! You're…you're so badly _hurt!_ Look at you!"

Dawn gave him a weak smile. "I'm alright…I needed to take care of things with Fang…"

"Yeah, Chris told me you had your item, but you weren't there to personally deliver it. What were you _thinking?_ "

Dawn sighed and looked away, dejected. "Well…I _had_ to solve the problems I initially started, right? Fang's maniacal state was caused by me. I had to end it."

"Well, _did_ you?"

Dawn shook her head. "I _was_ able to draw blood from him, which was what I needed to do in order to extract his aura, but I ran out of time."

"Wait….you mean, you _couldn't_ just invade his brain or something like that?"

A small tendril shot out of Dawn and tickled Cameron's chin. He chuckled slightly, before realizing.

"Ohhhhh! I _think_ I get it…"

"Cameron, these tendrils might as well be extensions of my body. I can't do whatever I like with these. There _are_ limits. For example, a steel wall would be completely impossible to penetrate without sufficient force."

Cameron cracked a smile. "Hey, for a minute there, you sounded just like me!"

"Well, thank you. I _did_ learn from the best, after all."

With a small smile, Dawn pecked his cheek as she entered the mess hall. Cameron's smile immediately faded.

* * *

 **Cameron** : Even though I'm in the finale, I have the final say in who joins me! *he groans* It's either someone who could completely dominate me in any physical challenge or…someone who could dominate me in any physical challenge. Well, guess I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.

* * *

Chris stood in front of the final three at the bonfire that night. He held a plate of two marshmallows in his hand.

The grin on his face might have been the widest any of them might have seen it.

"Well, a certain _helper_ would be handing these babies out, but she's still out cold!" Chris said, motioning at the marshmallows as he did so.

"But hey, I think a good old-fashioned marshmallow ceremony, hosted by me, will be _just_ the ticket! Don't you agree?"

Cameron and Dawn exchanged glances, while Heather gazed mournfully at the ground.

"Thought so! Anywho, Cameron's safe from elimination, which means the two of you are fair game!

"Who'll be going home tonight? Could it be Heather, who basically treated everyone like mud throughout the competition and, let's be honest, coasted here on the backs of _way_ stronger competitors?

"Or, could it be Dawn? Cameron's on-again, off-again girlfriend, who basically survived who-knows-how-many eliminations to be here! Will it be another save, or will you be—"

" _BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-HA-HA-HAAAAAA!_ "

Chris stared down at Heather, who had completely burst into tears. "Hey! No emotional outbursts while I'm doing my dramatic monologue! Save it for _after_ I'm done!"

"I-I'm sorry, bu-but…" Heather sniffed loudly, wiping her tears from her eyes. "It…it's j-just that I worked _so_ h-h-hard to get here a..aaaaand he's go-going to flush _meeeeeeeee!_ "

Chris, Cameron and Dawn covered their ears as Heather gave out another high-pitched squeal.

"You know, I thought Katie and Sadie were several _eeeee's_ too many, but you _reeeeeeeeally_ take the cake!" Chris snapped.

Heather hiccupped several times, steadying herself.

"Go on…go on and enjoy y-your _stupid_ f-f-friendship f-f-f-f-finale! I h-hope that A-Aura B-B-Blaster g-g-gives you what you d-d-d-deserve!"

Cameron sighed. "Heather, we haven't even _voted_ yet. Besides, knock it off with the crocodile tears. You're not fooling anyone."

"He's right. Underneath that morose exterior lies an aura of malevolence. Please, stop."

Heather immediately stopped crying and wailing, choosing to glare at the pair silently instead.

Chris sighed.

"Great. She's completely _killed_ my mood of stirring up the dramatic tension! Now, get voting! Someone's going home for the last time…"

* * *

 **Confessional** : *3 panels of Heather, Cameron, and Dawn are seen, side to side. Each of them quickly crosses out who they want gone*

* * *

"Okay, thank you! Jeez, drag out the pre-voting tension, but cast your votes like you're late for Sunday School! I see how it is! Ugh!

"Anywho, the following people are safe:

"Cameron…aaaaand…"

Dawn stared over at Heather, who was glaring off towards the beach.

"…Heather!"

" _WHAT?!_ " Heather yelled as she caught the last marshmallow.

Dawn gasped, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Cameron, b-but…after everything I said…everything I've been through…you'd _vote_ for me?"

Cameron flinched and quickly averted her gaze. "I'm sorry but…I had to."

Chris stared at the two of them. Then, he cackled.

"Aww, cute! Dramatic tension _and_ an official break-up! I _love_ it! Dawn! Your toilet home awaits."

"It's not a break—" As Cameron spoke, Dawn quickly got up and sprinted for the Flush of Shame.

Cameron looked to his right to see the vacant stump. To his left, Heather smirked.

"Good going, _loser._ "

* * *

 **Cameron** : Listen, I _know_ voting for Dawn might be a horrible idea on paper…but look at it this way: she doesn't have to get hurt anymore.

* * *

The tears were flowing thick and fast from Dawn's eyes as she bobbed up and down in the toilet water.

" _Dawn! Wait!_ "

Dawn's lip quivered as she saw Cameron run up to her.

"Please…you don't have to explain…I get it…"

"No, Dawn, you _don't_ get it…when I was at that animal sanctuary yesterday, I met a bear psychologist that really put things into perspective for me!"

"Cameron, you don't have to lie to make me feel better…"

"Dawn…have I _ever_ lied to you?"

Dawn hiccupped softly, and her flow of tears subsided. "I…I mean, you really haven't, but—"

"He showed me a picture. A picture of a guy I'm _positive_ you miss and want to see again."

From his pocket, Cameron pulled out the tattered piece of paper with Mike's face on it. He handed it to Dawn.

As she looked, several memories flashed in her mind. Times long gone, time spent bonding with him…

The tears fell once more, but they weren't from sadness.

"Cameron, I'm sorry…I'm so, _so,_ sorry. You're right. You're _absolutely_ right. I got so involved with you and Duncan and Fang and managing auras and managing my _own_ auras, that I lost sight of, well…the big picture."

Cameron stifled a laugh. "Yeah! I guarantee he has a _lot_ on his mind that he wants to tell you about. At least four people's worth."

Dawn wiped her eyes and calmly smiled at Cameron.

"Thank you. For everything. You are _truly_ a treasure and I value you greatly. May your endeavors be in your favor."

Cameron returned the smile. "Thanks! As for Fang, well, I can handle it. Hey, I made it this far without too many crippling injuries, might as well go all the way, right?"

Dawn giggled softly.

Chris walked up, with the remote in his hands.

"Well, now that _that_ bonding session's done and over with, it's time to say goodbye to our most…unique contestant! Dawn, any final words?"

"Thank you, Chris. It really _was_ an experience."

"Yeah! You've proven that freaky aura powers and reality TV don't really mix! See ya!"

With a _beep_ of the remote and a swirling down the drain, Dawn had disappeared.

Cameron sighed in relief. "Well, _that_ went far better than I could have ever anticipated."

"Well, _good._ Because saving me was the _biggest_ mistake you'll _ever_ live to regret. See you tomorrow… _momma's boy._ "

Heather's glare, her devious smirk, her posture: all of it exuded menace and haughtiness.

Cameron gave her a confident grin. " _Bring it._ "

"And with that exchange, we're down to our final two! Who will triumph over the other and win the million big ones? Find out on the exciting conclusion of Total…Drama…Heroes vs. Villains!" Chris said, as the cameras cut to black.

* * *

(AN: That is Chapter 12 done! This, I think, was a fun exercise, in that I tried a slightly different framing device. I _tried_ to give everyone equal screentime, but, well, I'm a _bit_ of a sucker for action sequences. You understand, right?

But, with that out of the way, you know what time it is! We're at our final two, and it is time to _**vote for a winner!**_ Yeah, you guys decide who'll be the one to walk away with it all! And, given that the two finalists have a bit of a following, _especially_ in Heather's case, I guarantee that this will be a _close_ one. Please, vote either through a review, or you can directly message me if you don't want others to see who you're voting for. I'll be keeping tally, I promise!

Speaking of which, this was a fantastic final two that you guys gave me, and I cannot thank you enough for your contribution all that time ago. These two were canonical finalists, and I felt that bringing them to a finale again was worth trying out. So, to all those out there who might have just joined, or who might be long-time fans: thank you. For everything. Once again, you guys are the reason I'm doing this.

Now then, I have grad school to finish, so expect that final chapter sometime around mid-May! See you!)

Remaining contestants: Cameron, Heather

14th: Anne Maria

13th: Cody (quit)

12th: Brick

11th: Eva

10th: Justin

-merge-

9th: Gwen

8th: Mike/Mal (quit)

7th: Zoey (injury)

6th: Ezekiel (double elimination)

5th: Jo (double elimination)

4th: Duncan

3rd: Dawn

Last up: The Final Wreck-ening

(Hey! Told you there was no bear poop!)


End file.
